Everything's Going to Change Now, Isn't It?- The Greasers in 1968
by LiveFoREVer93
Summary: Not written by me! I'm posting this because the site I got it from is closing the 1st of next month. I hope you all enjoy it anyway!
1. Chapter 1

Things would always be rough for the Greasers, with them being poor, looked down upon, and misunderstood by everyone. But for as long as any of them could remember, none of that had really changed. People had become more aware of it, but not much was different. Everything was different, until one year got the best of them.

"What are we gonna do today?" Ponyboy asked. He was now sixteen, but still a dreamer who hoped everything was going to be fine.

"Who knows?" Sodapop asked. At eighteen, he had never gone back to school and was still happy working on cars. Not much had changed for him either, except for the fact that his girlfriend, Sandy, moved away to Florida two years prior. "Don't you have some homework to do or something?"

"Soda, you know teachers," Ponyboy lit up a cigarette. "They don't assign homework until the next week."

"No, he doesn't know teachers," Darry, now twenty-two and still working like a madman, said as he slapped his younger brother on the back. "It's been over two years since he's been in a room with one."

"Darry, please," Soda begged.

"Please nothing. Did you know that if you kept going with school, you'd be starting college by now, little buddy? When you first dropped out, I didn't care as much as I do now. But oh boy, do I worry about you now."

"Relax, Darry," Ponyboy told him. "What are the chances that Soda here gets taken off to war?"

Darry looked at his youngest brother like he had just sprouted another head. "There are bigger chances than you'd think."

"What makes you think you're not gonna get hauled off?" Soda asked. "You ain't in college either."

"No, I ain't, and now I was."

"Well, I'm not too worried," Ponyboy took another drag. "Nothing much concerning the war has happened to us."

"It could," Darry reminded him. "Tomorrow you could wake up and everything could be totally different."

This didn't seem possible to any of the brothers, especially Ponyboy. He wanted everything to stay the way they were, and if they changed, he'd fight his hardest to get them to what they should be.

Just then, Dally and Two-Bit walked into the house. They were now nineteen and twenty and a half, and Two-Bit had finally graduated high school in the previous year. His reason? It all felt like too normal and he was too used it now. He was still big on making jokes and drinking as much as he could, and he wasn't in college either. Dally hadn't changed since he was seventeen, he was still taking part in rodeos and causing all the trouble imaginable. There were no girls for either of them, but Two-Bit didn't seem to be into girls at all lately. No one knew what caused it.

"Hey guys," Two-Bit said somewhat cheerfully. He turned to Ponyboy with a sly grin. "Pony, guess where I was today?"

He sighed, knowing what was coming next. "Where, Two-Bit?"

"Not at school! Hold the applause, I know I'm tuffer than all of you!"

"Yeah, yeah, we know you're in love with yourself," Dally sneered. "Just don't blow yourself kisses. So, anybody wanna go to the nightly double with me tonight?"

"I will," Ponyboy said. "Wait- Darry, can I go?"

Darry sighed, which meant he was giving in. "All right, but only since it's the second day of school. You're graduating this year, so your grades matter more than they ever did."

"I know, I know. Johnny'll probably wanna go too, except I don't know where he is."

"He'll show up," Dally assured him. "Damn, am I glad he never has to see those parents of his again."

"Uh-huh. You coming, Soda?"

"Sure, why not?" he smiled. "I got nothing to worry about."

"You've got a job at a gas station to worry about," Darry reminded him. "And you've gotta try to stay away from Vietnam."

"Come on, Darry, don't make him worry about that," Two-Bit begged. "Nothing's ever gonna happen to any of us except for a few Socs using us a punching bags."

"Let's hope."

"Are you coming too, Two-Bit?" Ponyboy asked.

"Nah, I told Darry yesterday that I'd help him do something around here. Now that you guys are leaving it gives him less to worry about."

"All right." Johnny walked in, eyes wide and looking quite scared, but not as afraid as he usually did.

"What the hell happened to your eyes?" Two-Bit asked, scanning his skinny body.

"Ran into some Socs," he started, "and let me tell you, they ain't Socs anymore. They saw me and they were talking about getting the soldiers outta Vietnam and keeping the peace everywhere. One of them said something about acid, and how I should do it."

"Hippies?" Sodapop asked, interested. "They still wearing madras?"

"No! That's what scared me! They're all wearing bell-bottom jeans and jewelry."

"Jewelry?" Dally repeated. "Come on, Johnny, I don't believe it. What kind of jewelry?"

"Necklaces. Big, beaded necklaces."

Dally made a sour face. "That's just dumb. We gotta get outta here, I don't wanna talk about these damn Socs."

"See ya, Darry," Ponyboy said as they left the Curtis house.

Sneaking into the Dingo was easier that it had ever been, because almost every staff member was smoking something.

"That's the reason why people should do drugs," Soda laughed.

"Now you're talking," Dally looked out to see where they could sit. He saw a tall girl with long, dark hair, and no one sitting in her row.

"Looks like we got a place to sit," he smirked.

Everyone followed him as he took the seat next to the girl, realizing that she was truly the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. And he found himself thinking that wasn't a lie.

"What the hell is this?" she snapped at him. "I sit down here alone, liking to be alone, and four guys sit down next to me. You know, I don't even care if you're my kind, I like to be alone!"

"Well, that's weird," Dally said smoothly. "We hate it." He found himself wanting to smile at her genuinely; it was a feeling he'd never had before.

"I guess that makes us opposites, then," her voice was a lot calmer now. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Dallas Winston. You can call me Dally."

"Maybe I don't want to. The name's Skylar Rayne Wood, but you can call me Sky."

"If you talk to me like that, Sky, maybe I don't wanna call you anything, either. Besides, I thought the hippie era was now."

"You just did. And you don't have to be in an era to have a unique name."

Sky was amazed with herself. She had never had any experience with romance, even though she was already nineteen, and her social life was basically nonexistent. Now there was a guy talking to her who seemed to like her, somewhat, and he had the worst reputation she'd ever heard of. Maybe, she found herself thinking, things would happen between her and Dallas Winston.

"Guess I did, then. Hey, I think you're right about unique names. The guys over here are Sodapop and Ponyboy Curtis."

Sky smiled brightly at them. "Names like those are the kinds of names I like. Funny, when Dally said 'we hate it' I thought he had some multiple personality disorder. I forgot there were three more of you."

"And the quiet one over here is Johnny Cade," Dally explained. "Multiple personality disorder?"

"Yep. Who knows, there might be a smaller side of you that's nice to people."

"I doubt it."

Dally was confused about everything he felt toward Sky already. She seemed independent, smart, tough, and she was without a doubt gorgeous. The chills and sudden fevers going up and down his body were unfamiliar, and he wasn't sure what they meant. Surely he had heard people talking about feeling this way when they were falling in love. But he was Dallas Winston, rock-hard and emotionless. It was impossible for him to be falling in love.

"Listen, Sky," he started, having to clear his throat and swallow every other second, "how would you feel about leaving with me?"

"Right now?" she asked. Of course she was up for it- she wanted to know how he really felt about her. More so, she wanted to know exactly how she felt about him.

"Yeah."

"All right. What about your friends?"

"They're fine."

Without even thinking, he grabbed her hand and they left. When they were both standing side by side, they were the same height. He didn't know why he hadn't said a word to her yet, but it felt like she understood everything he was thinking. Sky felt the same way. Actions must speak louder than words, because every time she thought about how happy she was to be with Dally, he got closer to her.

"Where are you taking me?" Sky finally asked him.

"My rodeo partner's place," Dally muttered. "He's a drunk. You don't gotta talk to him. Hell, he's probably too drunk to notice I'm there and that I brought a girl."

She nodded and gripped his hand tighter. For a Greaser girl, she had never done anything really wild, and she knew this was her first real adventure. Dally was the first male to talk to her who didn't want to give her a hard time.

"Come on," he whispered to her. "We're here."

As they walked in, Dally couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed by where he had taken Sky. The music was Hank Williams, which had to be the worst music he'd ever heard, and the scene was even worse than other Greaser parties.

"It's okay," Sky told him. "I don't mind. You should see the parties my cousin throws. He's thirty-seven and wilder than you."

"How did you know…" Dally began.

"I just did."

They walked up to the bedroom so they could be alone. Dally let Sky sit down before he did.

"What were you thinking when you first saw me?" she asked him as she stroked his face.

"To be honest," he sighed, "I thought we were all gonna try to pick you up and watch you get pissed off. But then I realized how gorgeous you were."

"And you mean that?"

"Yep."

Sky stared at him with glassy eyes and her mouth open only slightly. She couldn't get over the way he made her feel, it was almost hard to think about.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked with a small laugh.

"You just…" she breathed, "seem amazing."

"Dazzling?"

"That's a better word for it."

For a while, they were silent, and then Dally turned to Sky nervously. He had done this with other girls before, but he never felt this way about them before. Yes, now he knew he wasn't falling in love with her. He was long past that stage, and was fully in love with her now.

"Now you're looking at me funny," she giggled.

"Yeah, I know. Sky, you seem amazing too, and you're amazing me right now. There have been other girls in my life, but not one like you. I've never loved anything, and I think that's changing now."

"Dally," she started, trying to keep her voice even, "are you trying to get me to have sex with you?"

"Yeah. It's okay if you don't want to. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I respect you."

"And I respect you. I also want to."

They were in bed together now, and everything was easy for both of them. Sky knew she loved Dally, and somehow she knew he loved her. As they kissed, Dally remembered that his biggest fear was getting her pregnant. By now he knew that he was ready to love Sky and be completely devoted to her, but he knew he wasn't ready to take care of a baby yet. He would never leave her, even if that happened.

She pressed her head against his chest and murmured, "I love you."

He sighed and didn't even have to think about his response. "I love you."

Eventually, they stopped and fell asleep. When they woke up next to each other, many thoughts were going on through their heads.

What would happen next? Sky thought. Would Dally stay with her? Or was this some kind of trick? Most importantly, would this ever happen again?

Dally was still asleep, but woke up immediately after Sky shook his shoulders and kissed his nose. He looked at her beautiful face and managed to get lost in her big, brown eyes.

"Hey," he chuckled and kissed her lips softly. He wondered if he would still feel the love he felt for her later on, but just by looking at her he knew the feeling was still there.

"What do we do now?" she asked with an apprehensive smile.

"I take you to meet my gang."

"Didn't I already meet them?"

"Not all of them. You still got Darry, Steve and Two-Bit left to meet."

"Oh. Should we go now?"

"If you want to."

Once they were out of bed and dressed, Dally took Sky's hand and led her outside. He was more than in love, because he truly loved her. Things were changing around there, and it would start with the rebel falling hard for the smart, sensible girl. But neither of them wanted anymore to happen, even though more had to.


	2. Chapter 2

Dally opened the screen door of the Curtis' brother's home. "Guys!" He yelled. Sky stood behind him. Pony came out of the kitchen. "Hey, Dally. Where'd you go to last night?"

"With a chick... Sky." He pushed her forward. Pony, remembering her from last night, nodded. "Hi." She nodded back to him. "Where's your brothers?" Dally asked, taking Sky's wrist. "Out back. Soda and Steve are playing football and Darry's working on Two-Bit's car... The transmission's messed up and Steve and Soda didn't want to work on it."

"Where's Johnny?"

"Still sleepin'." Dally nodded and followed Pony into the backyard, pulling Sky along with him. He introduced each of the guys to Sky, and she hit it off right away with all of them.

Darry cussed and tossed the wrench on the ground. Two-Bit leaned over him. "What?" He asked. Darry stood up and wiped his oily hands on his jeans. "I can't concentrate today!" He growled out, leaning against the bumper of the car after slamming the hood down angrily. Two-Bit leaned next to him. "Darry, can I offer a piece of advice?"

"Two-Bit Mathews giving advice? Good lord, what's it gonna be?" Two-Bit blushed and dropped his head, hoping Darry wouldn't see it. "I was gonna say give it a break. You've been workin' hard all week and you just need to relax." Darry stared at him for a moment. Two-Bit looked back up, looking past Darry. He couldn't stand to look into those beautiful, icy eyes. Darry grinned. "Alright, Two-Bit... Are you feelin' okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Two-Bit said nervously. Darry grinned and slapped him on the back, a touch that sent shivers down Two-Bit's spine. He smiled nervously at Darry and cleared his throat. Darry furrowed his eyebrows. "Two-Bit, you look really pale, are you sure you're okay?" Two-Bit nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'm just... I dunno, I guess it's the heat today, must be gettin' to me. Kinda warm, isn't it?" Darry looked at his twenty year old friend. "It's no warmer than it's been all summer, Two-Bit. Are you sure you're not sick? Maybe you picked somethin' up from your cousin... The one that was in town last week? Maybe he had somethin'." Two-Bit shook his head. "No, he was healthy. I didn't pick nothin' up, I'm fine, Darry." Two-Bit mentally kicked himself in the ass for not going along with that story. If he'd said he was coming down with something Darry would've probably sent him home and he would've been able to forget about the handsome man for at least another day. But, there was a chance that Darry would insist on tending to him until he felt better, making Two-Bit's problem worse. He sighed and got off the car. He walked quickly into the kitchen, grabbing a beer and downing half of it in one gulp. This had been going on for quite a while, and it was getting to the point that he couldn't stand it. Darry was a regular part of his life, so he couldn't avoid the man, the whole gang would notice something funny then. Two-Bit's little crush was getting so bad that he couldn't sleep, could barely eat, and couldn't seem to concentrate on anything. He had no idea what to do, and no one to talk to it about. Steve, Pony, and Dally would shun him, Sodapop would laugh, and he didn't even want to know what Johnny would do... Probably die of shock. He was alone in this, and being alone was something Two-Bit had never coped well with.

Darry entered and set a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay, Two-Bit?" Two-Bit sighed angrily and turned to him. "No, Darry, I'm not."

"Talk to me, what's wrong?" Darry asked quietly, looking worriedly at Two-Bit. Two-Bit opened his mouth to confess everything but found he couldn't speak. He was so afraid of what Darry would say, he just froze. He shut his mouth again and shook his head. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me." Darry answered, crossing his arms. Two-Bit glanced at him and was met by his gorgeous eyes. He sighed and dropped his head. "I don't know how to explain it."

"Just try." Darry prodded. "I just... I don't want you to be mad at me." Two-Bit whined. Darry sighed. "I won't be mad at you, Two-Bit. Why the hell would I be mad at you? It's your problem, I just wanna help you."

"You can't help me." Two-Bit muttered. "I think I can." Darry argued. Two-Bit sighed and looked up at him. "No wonder you and Pony fight so much, you just don't let no one be, do ya?" Darry smiled and dropped his thickly muscled arms to his sides. Two-Bit watched the action and licked his lips. He'd love to have those arms wrapped around him in a loving embrace, those blue eyes staring into his grey ones before they fell asleep together... Two-Bit shook the thought from his head, frightened that Darry would see his arousal. He cleared his throat and Darry said, "It's not that I don't leave people alone, I just don't like to see my friends sick. You look like somethin's really wrong, and I wanna know what it is. If you ain't sick then it's a problem you're havin' with someone or somethin', and I know I can help with that, Two-Bit. We've been buds since we were in the crib, and we've always been able to talk to each other. Why's it so different now?" Two-Bit sighed. Darry was right, they'd known each other since they were infants. A memory formed in Two-Bit's head and he smiled. Darry had been six, he was four, and they'd made mud pies... And actually eaten them. They'd been so sick that night. People say kids can't remember that far back, but they could. Two-Bit sighed. After long hours of thinking, he figured out that their closeness was the reason he found himself attracted to Darry and not to one of the other members of the gang. They'd been together longer than any of the gang, and they shared everything. So why couldn't they share love? Would Darry really react badly? Thoughts whipped through Two-Bit's head as he watched Darry's face. Finally, he sighed. "I just can't explain it. I know we've been friends for a long time, and that's the reason I just can't talk to you about it. It's just... It's too hard." Darry sighed and a pained expression crossed his face. "Two-Bit... Please." He asked quietly. Two-Bit shook his head. "I can't explain it. I don't know how to explain it..."

"Can you show me then? Is it a problem you can show me?" Two-Bit laughed halfheartedly. "I could, but you don't want me to."

"Yes, I do." Two-Bit looked up at the twenty-two year old. He sighed and shook his head. "No, you don't, Darry. You ain't got no idea what you're invitin' when you say that." Darry frowned. "Two-Bit, it can't possibly so bad that you can't even show me the problem... I mean, what is it? Come on, man." Darry was getting exasperated. Two-Bit sighed and looked at his best friend. "Damnit, Darry, you asked for it." He said before standing straight and pushing his lips against Darry's.

Darry stood up straight when Two-Bit kissed him. He hadn't even thought this might be Two-Bit's problem. It surprised him though, how much he enjoyed the feeling of the younger boy's lips on his. He didn't know why it surprised him, they'd been best friends since childhood, and had often talked about what it'd be like to make love, or even kiss another guy. He pushed the childhood memories from his mind and focused on Two-Bit.

Darry wrapped his arms around Two-Bit's waist and deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue into Two-Bit's mouth. Two-Bit moaned against his mouth and pushed their bodies together as he played with Darry's hair. Darry felt himself become aroused and knew they should stop before they got too carried away. Darry slowly pulled away and smiled. "Wow." He whispered. Two-Bit grinned and glanced over Darry's shoulder. His eyes widened and he pulled away from Darry quickly, tripping over his own feet and landing on his ass. Darry whipped around. Johnny had woken up and now stood in the doorway, staring at the two men.


	3. Chapter 3

"What the hell are you two doing?" Johnny asked, scared to see Two-Bit and Darry so close to each other.

"Umm," Darry started, knowing he had to lie in order not to frighten Johnny even more than he was, "just helping each other out with something."

"Yeah," Two-Bit added, deciding to go along with the lie for now.

Johnny wasn't as stupid as people may think, he had a feeling that he knew what was going on. But Two-Bit and Darry had only been best friends for years, and friendship only turned into love when it was a guy and a girl. He'd never seen it happen between two guys.

"You guys aren't gay, are you?" he asked, scanning both of them up and down.

The other two panicked. What would Johnny say if they told him the truth? Darry still wasn't even sure if he was attracted to Two-Bit, but he did feel something- something good, when he had kissed him.

"Johnny," Darry said firmly, "yes, we are."

"You are?" Two-Bit asked, relieved that Darry wasn't going to back out on him now. Not after how much he had felt when they kissed.

"Oh," Johnny mumbled. He had heard about people who liked those of the same gender, but he never knew people like that for himself. That is, until now.

"But you have to promise you won't tell the other guys," Darry ordered him.

"Yeah, they can find out later," Two-Bit agreed.

Just then, Dally, Sky, Ponyboy, Sodapop and Steve came to meet Darry, Two-Bit and Johnny. Everyone tried to look as casual as they could, but there was still some tension in the air, and they could all feel it. The secret that was kept from the remaining five would almost be forgotten with what was about to happen.

"Hey guys, guess what?" Sodapop cried, grinning happily and widely.

"What is it, Soda?" Darry groaned. He really didn't have time for his younger brother's childish schemes, especially after his kiss with Two-Bit.

"Dally loves Sky!" he laughed. Sky blushed and Dally frowned, but they joined hands just to show everyone that Soda was right.

"Do you honestly love her, Dal?" Two-Bit asked. "Or is she just gonna be another Sylvia?"

Still frowning, Dally sneered at his friend. "I love her."

Deciding to change the subject, Darry motioned at Ponyboy.

"Pony," he called to him. "Check the mail, will ya?"

He nodded and stepped outside briefly to grab the few pieces of mail from the mailbox.

"Most of it's stuff for you, Darry," he muttered absently. Suddenly, he came to a halt and felt his heart stop when he saw the next envelope.

"S-S-Soda," he stuttered, still incredibly shocked, "this is for you."

Sodapop knew what the letter was for, though he didn't want to believe it. Slowly, he approached his brother and took the envelope from his hand. As he opened it, his stomach lurched and he could feel the tears stinging inside of his eyes. It was a draft notice.

"What does it say?" Steve asked, even though he knew his best friend was in danger of being sent to war.

"It says," Soda began quietly, "that I have to go to an induction center two weeks from now."

All eight minds in the room stopped thinking of anything else but keeping Sodapop from going off to war. If one of them was gone, the others couldn't think of any way to survive.

"Do you think they'll ship you out to Vietnam?" Two-Bit asked, almost forgetting about his moment with Darry. He couldn't let anything happen to Soda; they meant too much to each other.

"They might," he sighed. "I guess there's no way of knowing."

"We've gotta think of ways to keep you out of going into the army," Ponyboy told him. His worst fear was losing Soda, especially after he had lost his parents not too long before.

"Can you do that?" Soda asked wishfully. All his life, he never thought anything different would happen to him, and now he was paralyzed with fear at the thought that he might be sent to war.

"Who knows?" Dally asked, putting his hand on Sky's thigh.

"Nobody, really," she replied. "But we're gonna find out."

"Sky, if you don't wanna stay, that's all right," Darry told her. "It's gotta seem a little uncomfortable with this happening."

"It's fine," she assured him. "Anything I can do to help." She had only known Soda for less than a day, but she felt an automatic closeness to him, closeness she hadn't felt with anyone but Dally. They would be good friends, and she would do all she could to keep him from leaving.

"So, what should I do?" he looked around at the faces of his brothers and friends. When he saw Ponyboy's crestfallen and worried face, his heart dropped. He loved his brother more than he could ever know, and to think that he would have to be apart from him- from all of them- tore him apart.

"Tell them you're not really Sodapop Curtis," Johnny suggested. "Tell them you're Randy Adderson or somebody and that he's you."

"Johnny," he started off calmly. "I don't think that's gonna work."

"It's worth a shot." Johnny looked around, the secret he knew burning inside of his brain. When would it be all right for the rest of them to know about Darry and Two-Bit?

"What if we made you look like you were a junkie?" Dally offered. "You wouldn't have to do drugs or nothing, just look like you've been shooting up."

"They're gonna prove that wrong if they test," Soda pointed out. This was going to be impossible, even though he wanted to stay in Tulsa, the place he loved and felt safer in. Anything was better than Vietnam at this point.

"Hell, they might reject you before anything starts," Dally reminded him. Sky pressed up against his shoulder, and he felt more relaxed when she was there on him. With her, everything would be better. But there was still so much else to worry about.

"Tell them you're a rapist," Steve came in. "With your good looks, they'll believe you."

"Nah, he looks too nice," Ponyboy objected. "Soda, I have an idea. Just tell them you're gay. They're not gonna wanna take a gay guy off to war."

Darry and Two-Bit tried not to look at each other or blush at all. They didn't want to blow their cover just yet. Neither of them had really sorted out their feelings, but they would have to, even if it meant more changes.

"How about I just burn it?" Soda finally realized. "Isn't that what people do?"

"Go ahead," Darry said dryly. "Still, you gotta be there when the time comes, little man. Damn it, do you know we could be avoiding this right now if you were to have finished high school? I would have pushed for you to get into a college, and you wouldn't be in this mess right now!"

"Darry, you know I wouldn't have gotten into a college," Soda tried to keep his cool. "Nobody would have accepted someone who failed all his core classes. It's a good thing I dropped out. Besides, we never expected this to happen."

"Yeah, well we should have been smarter about it." There were a lot of things Darry should have been smarter about, like the way he led Two-Bit on like that. That wasn't expected either, but that was for the best. Soda going off to war and in high risk of dying was definitely not.

"You know what, Soda?" Ponyboy started aggressively. "You ain't going to war, and nobody else is, either."

"Come on, Pony," he urged his little brother. "You can't do anything about it."

"Yes I can. For you I can."

There was an awkward silence as everyone realized what was happening to their Ponyboy.


	4. Chapter 4

Pony sighed and shook his head, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cigarette. He lit it and mumbled something or the other about meeting a friend and exited the house before the gang could stop him.

"Should we go after him?" Johnny asked, looking out the door. "No... Let 'im go... This is a shock." Soda said, sitting on the floor. He read over the letter continuously.

Pony sighed and stomped out his cigarette as he stepped up to the door. The old house was condemned, but that didn't matter to the group Pony knew he'd find inside. Since last year, Pony had met some interesting people. They called themselves hippies, and their motto had always been 'Make Love, Not War.' He'd been asked to join numerous times, like it was some big gang or something, but Pony had always thought they were crazy, even though he befriended one in particular. Now he knew what they meant. Hundreds of boys just like Sodapop were getting sent off to war for no reason, and it was up to these guys.. The hippies, the flower children, to stop it.

Pony rapped on the door in the manner he'd learned. Two quick raps, three slow ones, two more quick ones. The door opened and Pony was almost choked by the smell of pot. That was something else he'd never gotten into, he considered it something that only the hippies did. A wide eyed boy with long hair opened the door. "Get me Blackie." Pony said. "He's breedin', man."

"I don't care." Pony said, pushing his way in. "Back room, kid." The boy answered. Pony nodded and waded through the many bodies into the back room. Sure enough, Blackie was in there, along with a girl. Blackie was Pony's only real friend among the hippies. His real name was Marcus, but he'd gotten the nickname Blackie when he joined up with the local hippie group. They called him such because, to put it frankly, if Blackie laid down naked in the snow and shut his eyes, you'd never be able to see him, and no amount of sun he got could darken his skin.

Blackie jumped up and away from the girl when he saw Ponyboy standing in the door. "Uncool, man! I was breedin'!"

"I don't care, I need to talk to you." Pony said, giving the girl a look. He motioned for her to get out of the room. She glared and walked out, not bothering to gather her clothing. Blackie pulled on his briefs. "Whatcha need, kid?" Pony shut the door. "You don't never call me kid, Blackie, I'm the same age as you and you know it." Blackie remained quiet. Pony sighed and sat on the bed. "Look, you said you was gonna have an anti-war rally two weeks from now, right?"

"Yep."

"And you said it was gonna be at the induction center, right?"

"Course."

"All day?"

"All day and all night, brother. Why?" Pony sighed. "I wanna join." Blackie stared at him. "I thought you hated us, Ponyboy."

"I did, but my brother just got a draft notice, and I ain't gonna sit around and do nothin' while he gets sent off to die!" Blackie nodded. "Alright, man... Alright. You're sure about this? You know you can't just go back. We may not have rumbles and gangs no more, but we definitely got our hippie gangs." Blackie was a notorious fighter with Tim Shepard's gang, when the gang thing was still in style. "Yeah, I know, Blackie. I want in. It ain't right that they're over there killin' our boys for nothin'." Blackie nodded. "Lemme get the head." Pony sat back and nodded as Blackie walked into the living room. "The head" was the so called leader of the house they gathered in. There was one major group of hippies or flower children in each town, and the head usually ran that group, so kind of like a gang leader. He 'inducted' newer hippies, if they were serious about it. Blackie and the head walked in. Pony stood up. The head shook his hand. "I'm Snickers."

"Ponyboy." Snickers looked him over. "Ain't you the one that hates us?"

"Not no more. I guess I saw the light. They ain't gonna kill my brother without hearin' somethin' from me." Snickers nodded. "You know what you gotta do, right? If you wanna be a high up friend of ours." Pony's jaw clenched but he nodded. "Yep... Blackie explained it to me."

"Blackie's my best friend, course he did... Do it." Pony shut his eyes and nodded. Being added to what the hippies in Tulsa called a connections list took a lot of embarrassment, but Pony had to do it if he wanted to solidify his place in the front of that rally.

Pony sighed took off his shoes and socks, then unzipped his jeans, dropping them and his briefs. He yanked off his shirt. The hippies were all very nature loving people, so being unashamed of your naked self was a badge of honor. Snickers nodded and stepped up to him. "Blackie, take him to the bathroom and get that grease out of his hair... It's disgustin'." Pony blushed. Blackie led him out of the bedroom and through the crowd of people. Everyone's eyes were on him, and Pony felt his face redden. Blackie pushed him into the bathroom and turned on the water. "Get to it." He said. "I'm glad you're finally agreein' to this, Ponyboy, trust me, life is so much better this way. We ain't got none of those problems." Pony nodded, washing the pomade out of his hair. Blackie grabbed a towel and dried his hair, tossing him a brush. "Straight down... Damn, Ponyboy." He said when Pony didn't brush it right. He grabbed the brush and ran it straight down Pony's hair. Though he wasn't a hippie, Pony had allowed his hair to grow to his mid-back. Blackie grinned. "You fit right in." He said, looking Ponyboy over. He grabbed Pony's wrist and pulled him back through the crowd. This time, people whistled and cheered. Blackie pushed him back into the bedroom. Snickers nodded. "Much better. "Here." He handed Pony a staple of all the hippies in Tulsa, a pair of bell-bottoms. Pony couldn't help but grin. "They gonna fit?" He asked. Snickers nodded. "You and Blackie wear the same size." Pony nodded and yanked them on. Blackie whooped, slapping him on his bare back. "Come on." He pulled Pony into the living room. As if on cue, everyone stood back, making a clear space in the center of the room, big enough for Blackie, Pony, and Snickers. They sat down and Pony tucked his hair behind his ears, mostly because he saw Blackie doing it. "You've smoked before, right?"

"Only cigarettes." Pony answered. The room fell into an uproar. "Well this ain't tobacco, Ponyboy. This here's marijuana." Pony felt his heart leap as he watched first Snickers, then Blackie take the joint. Blackie grinned and handed it to him. Pony took it and grinned. "Darry's gonna kill me for this." He said before taking a drag. It burned, but not bad. They continued to pass the joint around until it was gone. Snickers called over one of the other hippies, a girl about Pony's age. He said something to her, but Pony didn't hear. She came back with a baggie and a pipe. Snickers filled the pipe and showed Pony how to use it. Pony nodded. They passed it around a few times, until Pony was as high as they thought he'd ever be. The sixteen year old laid back on the dirty rug, staring at the white ceiling. Well, it wasn't really white. It was a strange yellow, from all the smoking people did in the house. He could hear people laughing, and got to laughing himself.

Finally, Blackie and Snickers pulled him up to his feet and dragged him into the bedroom. They laid him on the bed. Pony sat up and yawned. "I'm hungry." He muttered. Blackie laughed. "Later, man. Look, you got one more thing to do... But, and we don't do this with everyone, man, we usually choose for 'em, but you got a choice. You can breed, or you can pop somethin'." Pony thought for a second. His choices weren't the best. But, if he chose to pop something, there was a chance they'd give him any number of pills, and he had to take them. Darry would yell at him for the pot, he didn't need to be killed for taking something like LSD. "Breed." He said, rubbing his eyes. Blackie nodded. He walked out. Snickers sat on the bed. "This is real honest of you to do. Alot of these guys become one of us just to have an excuse to get high. You're doin' it for a really good reason."

"Thanks, Snickers." Pony answered, smiling. Snickers returned it. "I'll letcha be... You two can come out whenever you're done." Pony nodded. Snickers exited. Blackie came back into the room a few minutes later with six different girls. "These are the candidates." Pony couldn't help but smile. He looked at the girls. There was two blondes, three black haired beauties, one with brown hair, and one with red hair. Pony stood up and walked up to the girls. He smiled softly at one of the black haired girls. She was a pretty girl, with a small face and blue eyes. "Come here..." He said quietly, taking her hand. Blackie grinned. "See ya later, bro." Pony nodded to him. Blackie rushed the other girls out and shut the door. Pony looked her over. "What's your name?"

"Doll." Pony grinned. "Your real name?"

"Cristal." Pony nodded. He pulled her onto the bed. "You do this alot?"

"This is my first time with a new kid... I'm usually with one of the guys that we know really well, that way we know they're clean."

"Well I'm clean, I promise."

"I know... Blackie wouldn't have allowed me in here if you weren't. I'm his pet." Pony smiled and leaned forward a bit, kissing her gently. She smiled and laid back, allowing him to get over her. He kissed her passionately, sliding up her shirt slowly.

A cheer rose from the group in the living room when the two exited, hand in hand. Pony grinned but Doll blushed. Blackie smacked him hard on the back. "Good goin', bro!" He shouted. Pony smirked. He was offered a joint and he gladly took it. Doll slid it from his fingers after he'd had it for a bit and grinned at him. When she was finished she handed it back to the boy that had given it to them. Snickers stood up. "Hey... I expect to see you in the front of the crowd... Right along with me and Blackie, and your doll of course." Doll grinned at him and squeezed his hand. "You will." He said. Blackie walked into the bedroom and tossed him his clothes. "Hey, here." Blackie easily tied back his hair. Pony slid his shirt back on. "That outfit is perfect for the rally, just so you know." Pony nodded. "I gotta get home before Darry kills me." They nodded. He kissed Doll once more and walked out, waving. The group inside shouted good-byes. Pony grinned and walked down the street, proud of the stand he was able to take for his brother.

Everyone was still up when Pony walked in. Darry looked up, more worried looking than angry.


	5. Chapter 5

"Where were you?" Darry asked, standing up. He wasn't mad at his youngest brother. No, he had too much on his mind to be angry with him.

"I was with another friend," Ponyboy told him. "Can we just not talk about this for awhile?"

"Sure. I think we've got bigger things to worry about around here."

Everyone's eyes glanced to Soda. He still hadn't removed his eyes from the draft notice. Why him? Why now?

"Shit, man," Steve muttered. "I never thought one of us would be taken off to war."

"Hey, just because I'm getting inducted into the army doesn't mean I'm gonna get shipped anywhere," Soda told him, severely doubting it. "I might never fight."

"There's a big chance you will, little buddy," Darry murmured. He looked over at Johnny, who was quietly sitting close to Dally and Sky, staring at his hands.

"You okay there, Johnnycake?" he asked him.

Johnny merely nodded. He was spending too much time thinking about everything that was going on. All of this came as a real shock to him. How was he supposed to handle it?

First Dally came with a girl who was so much different than him. Sky was beautiful, smart, and well rounded. Normally, she would just be a one-night stand. But everyone could tell that Dally truly loved her. Never did Johnny think that he'd find one girl to stay with, and he knew it would take years to get used to.

Then there was the matter of Darry and Two-Bit's secret. Johnny was the only one who knew about it, and if they kept on their aloof act, he might always be the only one. He couldn't forget about it. Every time he blinked he saw the two men in front of him, so close together… their lips… their bodies… it was easy to think about, but so hard to push aside.

Things had to get worse when Soda got his draft notice. Everyone should have taken caution when he dropped out of high school two years prior. College students didn't have to go off to war. If Soda worked hard enough, he could have gotten into a college. But he didn't think anything of himself, and going to war would kill the even the small inkling of confidence he had built up over his almost nineteen years.

Johnny knew where Ponyboy had been just a few minutes ago. It was possible that the other guys didn't, but he did. Ponyboy had always hated hippies before. He had lived in the past, and was finally awakening into the present. But why did he have to come into 1968 like this? Couldn't he be like the rest of them again? That's when Johnny realized that no one could stay the same. And it was beginning to destroy him like the most fatal of all diseases.

"Hey, Ponyboy," he finally managed to croak. "Let me talk to you alone."

"Sure, Johnny," he said, and they took off for the boys' room.

At first, Johnny struggled to find the right words to say. Then he figured he might as well start with an interrogation. He didn't do well under pressure, and he knew it.

"What happened to your hair grease, man?" he asked.

Ponyboy felt his hair and grimaced. "A guy washed it out."

"Was the guy a hippie?"

Johnny felt almost crestfallen as his best friend stared at him strangely. "So what if he was?"

"Hippies can be dangerous, Ponyboy," he warned him. "They have you do weird things, like have sex with people you don't know and lie in the streets naked to protest! Did they make you take LSD?"

"Nah, not yet. But they'll have to."

"You can't do that. Man, promise me you won't. Did they make you smoke a joint?"

"Yeah, they did."

That was also one of the last things Johnny didn't want Ponyboy to get himself into. Cigarettes were bad enough, but hell, everyone smoked cigarettes. Marijuana was a totally different story.

"How do you feel?"

"Hungry. I heard that's a bad sign."

"Hell, I don't know. But why are you doing this? What's so great about becoming a hippie, especially after you've hated those guys for so long."

"You saw what Soda got today, Johnny. My brother is not going out to fight in a war. He ain't gonna get himself killed because this goddamn country needs soldiers. Not if I can stop it."

"Ponyboy, you can't stop it. Nobody can. Nobody know when it's gonna end!" They were shouting now, and both of them wanted it to end. Neither of them got angry at each other, but there was a first time for everything.

"It's worth a shot," Ponyboy gasped after a few moments of silent stares. "You know, I just don't even wanna talk to you right now."

"Wait," Johnny began, but he was already out the door and back to everyone else.

As soon as the door slammed behind him and in Johnny's face, he began to cry. No one could shake him up like this other than Ponyboy, his best friend whom he cared about more than himself. And it wasn't close to being over.


	6. Chapter 6

Everyone was staring at Ponyboy. He stared right back. He wasn't sure of exactly what had happened, he was still extremely high. He shook his head and walked into the kitchen. He grabbed a bag of chips and walked back into the living room. He flopped on the floor and began to eat. "Where'd you get those pants?" Steve asked. Pony glanced down, realizing he was still wearing the bell bottoms. "A friend." Steve stared at him. "Ponyboy, what's a matter with you?"

"Whatcha mean?"

"What did ya do to your hair?" Soda pulled his eyes away from the letter. He hadn't even noticed the argument. "Ponyboy!" He yelped. Pony looked at his favorite brother, his eyes slightly bloodshot. "What?" Soda stood up and yanked Pony up, staring closely at him. "What'd you take?" Pony slid his arm from Soda's grip. "Relax, bro. Nothin' bad."

"Ponyboy, you're high as a kite." Soda grabbed his arm, looking for needle marks, but thankfully not finding any. "What did you take?"

"What's wrong with you?" Pony asked quietly, cocking his head a bit at Soda. Soda stared at him. "I thought we'd never... You told me you'd never do drugs... Never little brother. You said that would be one thing that wouldn't change... No drugs." Pony dropped his head. "Things change, Sodapop."

"Why'd you do it, Ponyboy? Was it pot?"

"Yeah... I did it for you."

"What?" Pony smiled at his brother. "You ain't goin' to war man... Not if I got anythin' to say about it." Soda shook his head. By this time Darry was near him. He grabbed Pony's chin and turned his head. "You smoked pot! Jesus Christ, Ponyboy, who knows what they laced that with!"

"No, man, relax... It was just pot. I was with Blackie, we're buds, he'd never do nothin' I didn't know of."

"You joined them damn hippies." Darry muttered, shaking his head. "You know, Pony, I'm really disappointed in you."

"Well at least I'm tryin' to do somethin' about Soda! You're just sittin' on your ass!" Pony shouted. Darry, losing his temper, slapped his little brother across the face. It wasn't as hard as that first time, but it still made Pony's face redden. Darry's eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Pony, I just got mad... I just... Please don't never say that." Pony smiled and shrugged. "It's cool, Dar." He said. He pushed his way away from his brothers, who were gaping at him. Pony never dealt with a situation like that calmly. Pony sighed and yawned. "I'm beat. I'm goin' to bed." Dally grabbed his arm. "You gotta get away from them, Ponyboy. They're weird. Man, they ain't right!" Pony pulled away from him. "You don't know what you're talkin' about, Dallas. You and Sky, you two are a real good couple, as much as people don't think so... Stay together." It was clear the sixteen year old was high. Pony grinned and walked back into the bedroom. He saw Johnny, curled up on the bed, his face tearstained. He'd been listening to everything. Pony's face dropped. "Johnny..." He realized he'd hurt his best friend. "Johnny, I'm sorry. I was just mad... I'm sorry, man, there's just so much goin' on, can we talk?" Johnny looked up at him. "I guess." He said, wiping his eyes. He was mad at Ponyboy for being so stubborn, but the guy was his best friend, he had to try and reconcile. Pony dropped on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a moment. "Ponyboy, look I'm just worried about your safety, man."

"I'm gonna be fine, Johnny. Blackie and me, we're real close, as close as you and me, and I know he won't let Snickers push me into anythin' I don't wanna do."

"And what's with this name shit? Blackie? Snickers? Come on."

"I fit right in don't I? Ponyboy." He said his name with disdain. Johnny dropped his head. "Look, Pony. I know you don't understand why your brother's gotta be drafted, but it's the way it is, Ponyboy. You can't do nothin' about it."

"Yes, I can, Johnny. I'm sorry, but for once, I don't care what you say. I understand perfectly fine why my brother's gettin' sent off to die. It's because our damned government don't give two shits about the boys that actually had to work for a livin'. If they looked into who he was and what he's gotta do to keep this family together, they'da never picked him. Never." Johnny stared at Ponyboy for a moment. "Will you at least still be a grease, Ponyboy? You can't change. Please. Everythin's changin' so fast, I can't barely keep up." Pony shook his head. "You gotta change too, Johnny. It's 1968, bro... Everythin's gonna change."

"Get to bed, Sodapop, you got work in the mornin'."

"No, I ain't goin'."

"Why not?" Darry asked, furrowing his eyebrows. Soda looked up. "I'm quittin'... I gotta get all my stuff in order ya know, before I die." He said the words with mechanical ease, as if he'd practiced them for years. "Sodapop, don't you dare think like that." Steve warned, placing a hand on his best friend's shoulder. Soda looked up. "Steve, you seen them death tolls in the papers. You really think this little Oklahoma boy is gonna survive when you got generals and sergeants with ten or twenty years dyin'?" Steve remained quiet. Darry sighed. "Sodapop, you don't gotta quit. I can deal with your stuff if you end up killed. Don't worry about it." Soda stared at his big brother. "You and me yelled at Ponyboy about changin', and look at us. We're all differ'nt... We had no right to yell at Pony like that." Soda said, and stood up. He walked into the bedroom, and almost felt like crying. Pony and Johnny were asleep together, curled up in each others arms. He smiled weakly and tousled his little brother's grease-less hair. "Love ya, kiddo." He said quietly. He walked out of the room. "Johnny and Ponyboy reconciled." Darry nodded. Soda sighed. Dally yawned. "I guess I should get outa here... Where's Johnny?"

"Sleepin', he can stay here for the night, Dally." Soda said. Dally nodded and shook his friend's hand. "Things are gonna be okay, Sodapop."

"Things are changin' so fast." Soda answered. Dally nodded and took Sky's hand. "Come on, babe." She waved the group. Pulling away from Dally, she gave Soda a tentative hug. "It'll be alright." Soda grinned at her and tugged playfully on her braid. "I know it will. Go on, I'll prob'ly see ya tomorrow."

"Yeah." She walked back over to Dally. He kissed her quickly and walked out, reaching over and grabbing her hand.

"Ponyboy?" Pony rolled over. "Hey, Blackie." He said, yawning. "Who's this?" Blackie asked, motioning to Johnny's sleeping form. "Johnny Cade. My best buddy." Blackie nodded. "Man, I got a hard time from your brothers, you get shouted at?"

"Not much. Darry slapped me though." Blackie nodded. "How'd you react?" Pony grinned. "Cool as a cucumber, bro." He slid out of bed. "Snickers told us to be at the love shack by six tonight, I figured I'd tell ya now, 'fore I forgot."

"Yep, I'll be there, even if I have to dig my way outa this house. I'm prob'ly grounded as all hell."

"You ain't never gonna be on the ground if you keep takin' what we give ya." Pony grinned. Blackie smiled and gave him a high five. "Remember, no grease, that's disgustin'."

"I know, I know." He grinned and Blackie walked out. Pony sighed and looked down at Johnny. He went about changing his clothes.

Darry let out a soft moan as Two-Bit ground down on him. He settled back into the chair and they kissed once again, deep and passionate. Darry shut his eyes tightly and moaned again as Two-Bit worked his lips over the older man's ear and neck. He whispered Two-Bit's name, his fingers digging into the younger man's hips. "You're queer." Came a voice from beside them. Two-Bit jumped away and both men looked at Pony. "Ponyboy, I can explain..." Pony lifted a hand. "It's cool, bro... Whatever you want." He shrugged and walked into the bathroom. Darry and Two-Bit exchanged a glance.


	7. Chapter 7

"Look, Ponyboy, we can explain," Darry tried.

"You don't have to explain, bro," Ponyboy said coolly. "I don't care if you love a guy or a girl just as long as you love and you're happy."

"Damn, just a while at that hippie shack and you're already talking like them," Two-Bit muttered. Ponyboy just wouldn't be the same if he weren't a Greaser anymore. Then again, Two-Bit wasn't the same himself.

"Thanks, man." Ponyboy walked away from the love scene and into his room. Even though he was high, he wondered why he had done it in the first place. Wanting to save Soda didn't mean he had to smoke. But he had something to prove. He wanted everyone to know that he could change on a dime if his brother was endangered.

Two weeks passed. Sodapop had to report to the induction center, and Ponyboy was going to the anti-war rally to protest against it. Just a few minutes after Soda was on his way, Ponyboy followed.

"Hey, Pony!" Blackie greeted him. "Your big brother here yet?"

"Yeah, he should've gotten here a few minutes before me." He looked around for signs of Soda, but no one was giving off the radiation he always did.

Meanwhile, Soda stood in front of the doors with three other boys who were also afraid to go inside. No one dared look or talk to each other. The only thoughts that ran through his head were about Ponyboy. There were a bunch of hippies behind him, ready to protest against the war. Was he there with them?

"You know what?" Blackie turned to Ponyboy. "Since your blood brother's up there, I think you should start yelling first. You probably feel the strongest about it, man."

"Yeah, I do. Gimme the megaphone." Ponyboy stood up at an elevation where most people could see him and began to shout. Why am I doing this? He thought. Then a mental image of Soda's beautiful, gentle face appeared in front of his eyes and his entire focus changed again.

"STOP THE WAR!" he bellowed. "OUR BOYS DON'T NEED TO BE SHIPPED OFF AND MURDERED! THESE ARE YOUNG LIVES LOST WHEN THEY COULD BE LIVED IN PEACE!"

Upon hearing his brother's voice, Sodapop ran from the front doors and to his brother. The force he carried with him knocked Ponyboy down from where he stood.

"Hey, Soda," he tried to nod. "What'd you think?"

"I think you'd better go home." He was trying not to break down and cry. Seeing and hearing Ponyboy like this gave him even more stress.

"How can I go home when you're being tortured in there?" he cried. "Soda, I'll get the chance to come home again, but you might not ever have that again!"

Reality hit him hard, and he stepped away from his rabid, newfound hippie brother. He might never get to come home again. Never.

"You know, you're right," he whispered. "Go home, Pony. I want you to be safe even more than you want me to."

Knowing that his favorite brother was being sincere, Ponyboy walked back to his house, worrying about Soda the whole time. A few Socs passed him and instead of trying to jump him, they flashed him the peace sign with their fingers. Was this what he was becoming? Before now, he had hated Socs, and now he was one of them. Johnny asked him if he could stay a Greaser. But now that he'd seen what Socs were now, he couldn't.

Sodapop couldn't bear these tests anymore. Sure, he had always been athletic, but these physical tasks got more difficult when you were worried about your brothers, your friends, and your life. This induction would never end. The hippies were still outside, begging for it to stop, and for the first and only time, Soda agreed with them.

"Is there any reason you shouldn't be in the army?" a man asked him a while later. He looked mean, almost like an action figure style villain.

"I'm a gay, junkie rapist?" Soda tried.

The man laughed in his face. "Nice try, son." They gave him the group 1A, and he nearly died there. If he was in 1A, he was definitely going to war.

"Hey," Steve said casually as Soda walked into the Curtis house. "What happened other than the fact that Ponyboy was at the anti-war thing?"

"Rally," Ponyboy corrected harshly.

"They gave me 1A," Soda managed to state.

Everyone knew the chances now. And everyone hoped that not much would change along with it.

"Good morning, babe," Dally whispered to Sky, who was still asleep after the previous night.

"Hey," she muttered. They kissed each other lightly.

"I love you," Dally told her.

"I love you too."

"Maybe we should get up."

"Okay."

They did, and as they were about to leave the house, Dally stood in front of Sky. He knew this had to be done now.

"What the hell are you doing?" she laughed.

"I have to do this now," he told her. "Skylar Rayne Wood, will you marry me?"

They stood facing each other in anticipated silence.


	8. Chapter 8

Sky felt her knees turn to jelly. She leaned against the wall and put her hand to her forehead. "Are you bein' serious, Dallas?" Dally nodded slowly. "This is the hardest decision I've ever made. But you and me, there's somethin' about us." Dally dropped his head and shrugged. "I guess... I dunno, I didn't wanna wait any longer." Sky stepped up and gave Dally a tight hug. "I love you so much, Dally..."

"But..." Dally whispered. She nodded. "But, this is more than a big decision for you. It's big for me too, babe. And I don't know how to answer that question yet."

"Why not? I thought we loved each other?"

"That's just it, Dally. I do love you, so much, and I don't want this to be the wrong decision. Can you please give me, just a few days. Please?" Dally nodded and she pulled away from him. "Alright, I'll give you time..." She smiled and kissed him gently and hugged him. He smiled weakly and kissed her back.

"Ponyboy?" Pony glanced up. "What?" Despite everyone begging him to turn away, Pony just got himself deeper into the world of drugs, sex, and peace. It was rare for him to be clean, and Darry was worried it was more than pot now. "Someone's here to see you?"

"Who?"

"One of the flower children." Darry said with disdain. Pony sighed. "Would you quit callin' 'em that? Just cuz they want peace don't mean you gotta be rude." Darry opened his mouth to make a retort but knew it would be pointless, Pony never listened any more. He left the door open and exited. Doll entered the room and smiled. "Hi, Ponyboy. Snickers thinks that we should have a meeting tonight."

"Okay."

"The love shack at seven, can you be there?"

"Course I can.. Come here." Pony pulled her toward him and kissed her roughly. He didn't really love the girl, she was usually too high on god knows what to even realize what he was saying. He had her because he had to hae her. Make Love not War was a literal meaning to the Tulsa boys. "I'll see ya at the shack, Pony, I got somethin' you should try."

"Oh yeah? What?"

"Some horse." Pony thought for a moment. Horse was... What? Heroin. He smiled. "Doll, you know I don't take that."

"You should, that pot wears off after a while." Pony shrugged and stood. "I'll walk you to the door." He stood and led her out to the living room. Everyone was staring at them. When Pony really thought about it, if she wasn't so high all the time, and if he was a little more greaser, they would've made a good couple. He kissed her gently and slapped her ass. "Get." She grinned and giggled, making him smile. She walked off. Pony shook his head and walked back in. "A girlfriend?" Steve asked. He and Soda were sitting on the couch, reading a magazine. Soda was leaving in a week, but everyone had tried to ignore that fact. "Kinda." Pony answered, walking into the kitchen.

Johnny sighed and looked at his friends sadly. Pony was getting ready for the meeting he was having tonight. Steve and Soda were chatting about girls, but everyone could tell Soda didn't care much about that anymore, he was too worried about the war. Darry and Two-Bit were keeping a safe distance, but Johnny saw the loving glances between them. No one else knew about those two, as far as he knew. He wished he could tell someone, but didn't want to lose the two oldest members of their gang's trust. Dally and Sky were deep in a kiss, Dally's fingers running through her hair. Everyone was changing. The only people that were the same now were him and Steve. That was something he'd never expected. Steve and he used to only be friends because they had friends in common, and now they were the only ones that were clinging to the past. As if Steve could read his mind, he looked over and gave Johnny a small smile. He beckoned the younger boy over and made room for him on the couch. Johnny sat close and Steve absentmindedly wrapped his arm around Johnny, talking with Soda still. "See ya'll, man!" Pony shouted as he bolted out the door.

"Hey guys." He said quietly. The group looked up at him. They were having a clam-bake, and Pony knew well enough to close the door behind him. Snickers grinned. "Hey Pony. Come over here." Pony walked over and crawled onto the mattress between Snickers and Blackie. Snickers handed him a joint. "Take some." Pony did as he was told and immediately began to cough. "That's not pot." He said, handing it back to Snickers. "Nope." Pony stared at him. "What was it?" Snickers grinned and handed the joint to Blackie. "Nothin' big. It was pot, just laced with some coke." Pony shook his head. "Man, I told you I didn't wanna do that shit!" Blackie smacked him on the back. "Come on, get a life, bro. That pot wears off after a while. You gotta get to somethin' stronger. We were gonna give you a needle, but figured you wouldn't take it." Pony sighed and shook his head again, pulling his knees up to his chest. He looked around. In this room, the greasers and Socs intermingled. Cherry Valance was sitting on the far side of the room, talking with someone that Pony knew as an ex-member of Tim Shepard's gang. Marcia and Randy, still dating, were making out in the corner. Other Socs Pony recognized sat around, sharing joints and pipes with greasers, and a few of them were shooting up. Pony shook his head, his vision becoming fuzzy. "Blackie, I ain't feelin' so good."

"Oh, you'll be fine, it's just that first one man, it'll get ya. Lay down." Pony did as he was told. "Take another hit." Snickers said. Pony tried to push it away but Snickers held it to him again. He sighed and took a hit. The world faded in and out more quickly then. Things weren't right at all. Pony felt for a moment like he was chasing someone, or something. 'I'm chasing Blackie.' He thought before passing out cold.

Pony woke up, shivering. It was dark in the room. Bodies were slumped over in random places, not uncommon for nights at the love shack. He glanced beside him and saw Blackie. On his other side was Snickers. He shook his head, as it was clearing, but still foggy. He was glad he'd passed out before he could get another hit. He shook Blackie. "Hey, bro." He shook the boy harder. "Blackie." Blackie's head lolled heavily to one side. Pony froze, staring at his friend. "Blackie." He said once more. He reached over and pushed two fingers against Blackie's neck. The boy's skin was cold and dry. Pony felt around for a pulse. He couldn't find one. He began to shake and he grabbed Blackie's wrist, feeling that as well. When he found none he shook his head. This couldn't be happening. He set his ear against Blackie's chest, but heard no heart beat. He thought about giving the boy CPR, but realized that, with the cold feeling Blackie was giving off, the boy had been dead for quite a while. Ponyboy stumbled back, tripping over people and furniture. He stumbled out the door and dropped to his knees, puking up everything in his stomach. As much as he tried to block it out, Blackie's face loomed in his brain, and the cold feeling the boy gave off had chilled him to the bone. He retched a few more times and struggled to his shock of Blackie's death had cleared his brain completely and he wandered aimlessly for a few hours, not wanting to go home, but not wanting to go back to the love shack. He finally found himself at the park, where he and Johnny had almost died two years ago. He curled up beside the fountain and cried. It was like he'd never cried before, tears of anger and hate, but tears of misery and shame as well. He thought of his friends, Johnny and Dally, Blackie, hell even Sodapop and Steve. They'd all begged him... Warned him to stay away from the hippies, and he hadn't listened. He'd known when he joined that Sodapop would be shipped off either way, but he hadn't cared. He'd pushed everyone that loved him as far away as he could get them, and now he was ashamed. It occurred to him that it could've been him, and not Blackie, that ended up dead. If he'd stayed awake, he would've gotten the joint before Blackie, therefore probably would've taken more in. Shivers wracked his body as this thought sunk in. Words came back from the first day he'd become a hippie. "You can't get outa this, Ponyboy, you know that right?" Pony sobbed louder, unable to control himself. Finally, he regained his sense of realism. He stood up and wiped dirt off his ass and tears off his cheeks. He sighed and walked back to his house, his hands deep in his bell bottoms and his long hair hanging over his eyes. He was a hippie, even if he didn't like it. He'd allowed things to change too much, and now had no way to change them back.

A few days passed. Ponyboy had become withdrawn. He looked sick most of the time now and rarely ate more than a few bites of food. He disappeared almost every night and stayed out until the early morning. Steve and Johnny became closer, almost as close as Johnny used to be with Ponyboy. Steve agreed with him about those two being the only ones that were the same, though he didn't know what was wrong with Two-Bit and Darry. He just thought they were acting funny. Soda would be leaving in three days.

It was morning now, and Dally and Sky were stirring. She still hadn't answered him and Dally was getting worried. "Sky?" Sky glanced up from the paper. They were sitting on the bed. "Yeah?"

"I've given you time... And I don't wanna push you, but have you thought about it?" Sky paled. "Yeah, Dally, I have... But I think we should talk first." She set the paper down and sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Dally, I wanted to answer you the minute you asked, believe me. My answer was a yes then, and it's still a yes. I'd love to be your wife..." Dally opened his mouth but Sky placed her hand over it. "Hush." She sighed. "I would love to marry you, Dallas, but I think there's a bigger issue here, that we should talk about before we make any plans for anything. My answer is yes, I would love to be your wife, but we really need to talk."

"What's the problem?" Sky dropped her head. "I got worried, a few days before you proposed, because my period was late." Dally paled. She sighed and looked back up at him. "When you proposed I decided I'd have to figure it out before I answered you. So I went to the doctor, two days ago. I told you I was gonna go visit my mom, but I had an appointment."

"And?" Sky dropped her head and sighed. "Dallas, I'm pregnant... And I know it's yours."


	9. Chapter 9

"Sky, babe, you've gotta be kidding me," Dally tried to laugh it off like it wasn't even happening. He didn't know if he was ready or not, but when it was with Sky, the only person he'd ever loved other than Johnny, there was some way he could make it happen for her, the baby, and even himself. What he knew was that he wouldn't be a thing like his distant father. No, he would love his baby and take better care of it than he ever imagined he could.

"I'm not kidding," Sky tried to hold in her confused tears. "But I am scared."

"Me too. Sky?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you know it's mine?"

She inhaled and exhaled slowly. Trying to think back to the night they met, she tried to remember if she told Dally she was a virgin or not. That would have been embarrassing, telling a guy who had been around that the woman he was really ready for had no experience.

"You're the only guy," she told him. "Ever."

Dally couldn't believe that a girl as beautiful as Sky had never had sex with any guy other than him. Of course, he had never thought of the idea that a beautiful girl could ever have control over herself until now.

"Wow. Okay. Wow. But I want you to know something."

"What's that?"

"I'm gonna love this baby. Boy or girl, healthy or sickly, I'm gonna love it. And I'll always love you."

They went on without saying another word about the baby. But there was a thought going around in Sky's head. Should she go through with this?

Three days past, and Sodapop was leaving for Vietnam. It was the scariest day of his life, and also the scariest of anyone else's. He just knew he wouldn't survive. He would have to be killed out there. But he couldn't think of any way to say goodbye to his friends and his brothers, especially Ponyboy. For the past few days he had been in a fog since his fellow hippie died of a heroin overdose. Maybe he was finally seeing that being a hippie was dangerous. If he survived and came back home, he had to remember to tell Ponyboy how proud of him he had always been.

"Well, this is it," he began sobbing. "I'm leaving."

Darry had kept his secret with Two-Bit from his little brother, and now he was leaving. It was probably better that he didn't know, and when he came back and if things were still the same, he would tell him then.

"Oh, Soda," he whimpered. "Be safe. I love you, little buddy."

"Love you too, Darry."

Soda turned to Sky and Dally next. "You two keep going strong, all right? And take care of it. I can tell."

Sky's heart stopped as she looked her new friend in his smiling eyes. She hoped he hadn't told anyone else about the baby- she wanted to tell herself.

He said his goodbyes to everyone else, and couldn't help but break down and cry when he saw Ponyboy's hurt eyes. This was the first time since he had become a hippie that Soda had seen him hurt like this. When he started taking drugs, all of his emotional pain seemed to go away. Suddenly, it was coming back just a little, and it was enough so that there was more of a spark behind his green eyes.

"I love you all," he choked on his numerous tears.

"We love you too," they all said in unison.

And they always love him, no matter what happened in this war.

"Hey, Steve, what do you wanna do tonight?" Johnny asked his new close friend. It was a day after Soda went to war, and Steve needed a little entertainment knowing that his best friend was at risk of being killed as he sat in the almost empty house.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "You wanna walk to the Dingo?"

"Sure." They took off, not telling anyone where they were going. Darry wouldn't care because he and Two-Bit and gone off to do something, and he knew exactly what that something was. Ponyboy was dazed in his room, and there was too much on his mind for him to wake up out of anything other than the things that had happened to him in such a short time span. And Sky and Dally were out, but no one would ever know where they were.

In silence, they started walking to the Dingo, when they heard a noise behind them. When the turned around, they noticed a hippie following them, smirking evilly.

"Hold it," Johnny began, his voice trembling. "What do you want?"

"Do you want peace and nothing but peace?" the hippie asked flat-out. This was a little odd for both of them, considering most times they got cornered like this it was for no reason whatsoever but their clothes. In this day and age, it just didn't seem to matter.

"I guess so," Steve told him. "My best friend just went off to Vietnam today, but I know there's nothing I can do about it.

This displeased the hippie boy, who thought there was always a way to end violence.

"Look, grease, there's always something you can do about it. Do you believe that?"

"Well, no. I'm just a regular guy."

"No one is just regular when there are boys out in Vietnam getting killed for no reason other than feuds. And since you don't believe that, I'm gonna have to shoot you."

"I thought it was the other side who murdered people!" Johnny shouted. "Not you hippies!" He couldn't believe that someone who was supposed to be so big on love, joy and happiness would want to kill an innocent guy.

"Steve's innocent! He ain't doing anything wrong!"

"Oh, believe me, he is. And there are no 'sides' anymore. Damn, I thought you Greasers figured that one out way back in '66."

The hippie aimed the gun at Steve, and Johnny found himself too overwhelmed with fear to shout out anything. More quickly than either of them imagined, the gun was fired and a bullet hit Steve in the back.

"No!" Johnny bellowed. "No! No! No!"

He ran to Steve who was now lying on the cold concrete. When he rolled him over to look at him, his body was cold and dead.


	10. Chapter 10

It seemed like the world stopped when Johnny saw the light leave his now best friend's eyes. He dropped onto his knees and sobbed like he never had before. The hippie had run off, probably to boast to his friends. Was this what Pony had become?

Johnny finally pulled himself away from Steve's corpse, shivers wracking his body. He walked along the street, hearing ambulances and police cars, come to take the body that was Steve away. The shivers increased as Johnny sat in the lot. Normally, when something even this big was bugging him, he'd go to Pony, or Dally. He pulled himself from the old Chevy cushion. He sighed and began to walk toward the Curtis house.

"Dallas?"

"Yeah, babe?" Sky sighed and looked at her hands. "I think we should talk."

"About?"

"The baby." Dally nodded and crawled onto the bed with his fiancee. "What?" Sky leaned her head on his shoulder. "Do you think that I should go through with it? Or do you think we're too young?"

"You mean like, keep it or put it up for adoption?"

"No, I meant aborting it." Dally looked at Sky. "What do you think?"

"I don't know... I think, because we're engaged now, we should talk about it." Dally nodded and sighed softly. "I think I can grow up enough to take care of you two, if that's what you're worried about."

"That's not it. I'm just worried... We're only nineteen... Do you really think we're emotionally ready for this?" Dally sighed again. He looked at his hands then smiled. "Y'know, my dad and mom had me when they was 18... Barely outa high school. They treated me like shit. I promised myself I'd never treat this baby, or any baby I have the way they treated me... You wanna know what I really think, Sky?"

"Yeah. Of course I do." She took Dally's hand gently. Dally smiled and looked at her. "I think I'm ready, emotionally and physically to take care of a baby..." Sky smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah, Sky. I really think so. What about you?" Sky nodded. "Yeah, I think, with your help, I can do it." Dally smiled. "So we're keepin' him?"

"How do you know it's a him, Dallas?" Dally blushed and shrugged. "I dunno... I guess I'm just hopin'."

"Whatcha wanna name him, if we have a boy?" Dally shrugged. He smiled weakly and looked at his hands. "I kinda do like one name." Sky cocked her head. "What?"

"Naw, it's silly." Sky smacked her lover playfully. "Come on, I wanna hear it." Dally smiled. "I was thinkin'... Bridger. Or maybe Texas."

"Dallas and Texas?" Dally blushed. "I told you it was dumb." Sky grinned. "No, it's not dumb, Dally. They're cute names. I like Daniel, personally. How about for girls?" Dally chuckled. "Well... I dunno, that's harder." they went back and forth, talking about names,comparing and contrasting combinations of names. They were happy, no matter how much each of them had to change to make it that way.

Pony was stretched out on the bed he and Soda used to share, his eyes on a crack in the ceiling. He could hear the steady thump of Darry's headboard against the wall, but was ignoring it. He'd heard of a city wide massacre from his gang of hippies, but refused to take part. To be honest, he was more scared then he'd ever been. A sharp knock pulled him out of this thoughts. "Yeah?" Johnny stuck his black head in the door. "Hi, Ponyboy. Can we talk?"

"Where's Steve?" Johnny dropped his head. "Steve got shot today." Pony sat up quickly. "What?" He shouted. Johnny began to shake uncontrollably. "We was just walkin' and a fuckin' hippie came up, and he- And he just shot Steve! He's dead, Ponyboy!" Pony felt his knees go weak and the floor rushed up to meet him. He laid there for a moment, in a state of shock. Johnny walked over and knelt by him. He wasn't crying, he didn't even look sad. He looked pissed. "Johnny, oh, Johnny..." Pony said quietly, sitting up. He tried to hug his friend but Johnny pushed him away roughly, spasms running through his small body. His eyes were wild. "Your kind. You and your fuckin' hippies! They killed the only person I knew wouldn't change! You killed the only person I knew wouldnt' change!" He drew back his fist and socked Pony in the shoulder. Pony cried out and slid back from shock. "Johnny, calm down! Please, Johnny, calm down! I didn't kill him! I didn't even go out there!"

"You and your fuckin' gang! You and those damned hippies! You may as well have been squeezin' that fuckin' trigger, Ponyboy!" Tears flowed freely from both boy's eyes. Johnny's voice was changing octaves and his hands were clenching and unclenching. His body spasmed and shook as he struggled to calm down. "Johnny, please. We need to go and tell Darry." Pony tried to take Johnny's wrist but the older boy lashed out, catching Pony and the cheek. "Why are you doin' this? I'm your friend, Johnnycake!"

"My friend! What happened to what we said before? We said nothin' was gonna change! Never! We said it! You promised me, Ponyboy! Everythin's changin'!"

"What's changed?" Pony asked softly, trying to calm his best friend down. "You for one! You and those fuckin' hippies! The damn drugs, the protests, and the fighting! Hippies are just as bad as gangs, Ponyboy! You changed! You and me never talk anymore, we don't even see each other much and when we do, you're either fuckin' stoned or on some rant about how bad it is over in Vietnam! Goddamn it, Ponyboy!" Johnny was sobbing by now. Pony glanced up and saw Darry and Two-Bit standing in the doorway, gaping at the sobbing boy. "And fuckin' Sodapop, goin' off to war! That changed everythin', Ponyboy and don't you dare say it didn't! You know damn well he's prob'ly gonna die, and you know that'll make things even worse! And those two!" He pointed an accusatory finger toward Darry and Two-Bit. "They turned queer. They don't never have time for you or me, or even Sodapop, it's all lovey-dovey between them two now! They used to care about us, and now it's just them! And fuck, even Dally. He's got himself a serious girl and they're gonna have a damned baby! They're gettin' married! Dally's gonna be married! So him and that chick, they're just in their own clouds and bells world and not givin' two shits about us anymore! And now with Steve! He was the only one that didn't change on me, Ponyboy! Me and Steve, we was all that was left! We was it! And now he's fuckin' dead! I ain't got no one! Not a single person no more! And you ask what changed? Look around, Ponyboy. It's 1968 and things have changed more than you'd ever know!" The black haired boy stood and pushed his way through Darry and Two-Bit, slamming the door on his way out.


	11. Chapter 11

Ponyboy replayed the scene over and over in his head. Steve was dead, shot in an overly drugged hippie's interrogation. Soda was in Vietnam, and Johnny was probably right when he said he'd probably get killed out there. Johnny. He was the whole reason Ponyboy was so upset over this thing. He realized for the first time in two years how much his former best friend's opinion meant to him. Then he remembered Darry and Two-Bit, with their new, hushed romance. The thing that the most subtle, yet totally shocking when you thought about it was Dally and Sky. They were a very serious couple, engaged and she was having a baby. Even though in the end, everyone wanted this for Dally, Ponyboy didn't know how shook up over it everyone could get with everything else that was changing before everyone's eyes. Poor Johnny had such a meltdown before, and Ponyboy knew he couldn't talk to him about it just yet. So, he went to the person he assumed this affected the least.

"Hey, Sky?" he asked her when she and Dally came in a few hours after Steve's murder. She seemed stunned, looking at Dally and then at what she could see of herself. Finally, she turned to Ponyboy.

"Oh, hi Pony," she smiled at him. "You okay?"

"Not really," he admitted to her. "Johnny had a breakdown before you and Dal got here. Did anyone tell you about it?"

"No. Are you going to?"

He sighed heavily. "Yeah, I guess I have to. He started ranting and raving about how much everybody's changing and he can't stand it. He called me a fucking hippie a lot too. You do know how Steve died, right?"

"Kind of. All that Darry mentioned was that he was shot on his way to the Dingo."

"That's not the end of it. A hippie who was high as a kite and interrogated him and asked if he believed in world peace or something like that shot him. It really scared me, because if that's what I might end up doing."

"You might not. I don't think you will, if that helps. Besides, can't you go back to being a Greaser like the rest of us?"

Ponyboy looked down at the ground, trying to hold back the tears that were coming. Suddenly, he had flashes of the night Blackie died, Johnny yelling at him just minutes before, and something he would never see… Soda, dying in battle.

"That's a no, isn't it?" Her sweet face made Ponyboy want to try to become his old self again. He'd always wanted to stay the same, so why couldn't he go back to when he was happiest? Because being a hippie had become a habit, something that would be hard to change. But for Sky, this nineteen-year-old mother-to-be and engaged young woman, he would try.

"No, it's a yes," he told her. "Sky, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure, I'll do anything to help."

"Can you talk to Johnny for me? I know he doesn't wanna talk to me right now, and since you haven't been around for very long, I figured he resent you the least."

She grinned and giggled at the boy she now had a budding friendship with. "All right, I'll go talk to him. Pony, please try."

He looked her in her big, brown eyes, knowing he could tell her the truth. "I will."

Sky walked over to Johnny, who was sitting in the brothers' bedroom, staring straight ahead at the wall. It broke her heart to see him like this. Dally told her in the past that Johnny used to be really upset and frightened all the time, but once he turned eighteen and got away from his highly abusive parents; he seemed a lot more relaxed. Poor Johnny. Everything was changing on him, and he was staying the same.

"Hey, Johnny," Sky said quietly. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Why aren't you busy changing Dally's life by the second?" he snapped at her. He really wasn't angry at Sky, and in fact, he was happy for her. Now with Steve being dead and one of Ponyboy's new kind as the murderer, it was easy to hate everything.

"Johnny, listen to me," Sky ordered. She put her hand on his shoulder and tried to make him feel as comfortable and possible. "Ponyboy told me how you felt after Steve died."

He sighed. "This wasn't just after he died. It was weeks and weeks before, starting with you."

"Don't blame me. Yeah, I know Dally and I took it more seriously than either of us had planned, but I know you can't really be upset that for once in his life, Dally is pleased with something."

"Sure, I guess that's a good thing. But what about with Sodapop?"

"There was almost nothing to do about that. If he comes home, which I've been praying he will, we'll have to try our best to get him back to the fun-loving guy he was before." Sky hated acting like she knew everything about these guys, but just by being with them for a short amount of time and having Dally's commentary on them, she really did feel like she knew all there was to know.

"Ponyboy seemed to think there was something he could do about it."

"I think reality is just about to hit him pretty hard. He doesn't want to be a hippie anymore, can't you tell?"

"Right now, I never want to look at that fucking hippie again, so I don't care if he wants to be a Greaser again."

"Okay, I respect that for now. But you know you'll have to look at him for who he really is, and even though you might not see it now, he's still there.

Johnny thought about whether or not he should tell Sky about Two-Bit and Darry. No one knew they were partners except for he and Ponyboy. Was she trustworthy enough to know? Since he didn't really know her well enough, he decided to embellish a little bit on what to do about everything.

"There's one more thing that's been driving me pretty crazy."

"Tell me about it."

Johnny sighed as he began. "Have you ever known… gay people?"

"Not personally, no. But I don't think there's anything wrong with that."

"Neither do I. I'm just curious, but what would you do if you knew that two of your friends were gay, and they asked you to keep it a secret?"

"I'd keep it a secret." She thought she knew what was going on with Johnny, but then again, he could be leaning closer to the truth than she thought.

"Are you?" she asked him in a whisper that was almost silent.

"No," he told her. "But it's hard knowing folks that are."

Sky continued to rub his back soothingly. "Things are changing, Johnny, and they always are. I know it's hard and most of the time, we don't like it as people, but it has to happen. If things go on changing, maybe they'll change back to the way they were."

"Nothing will change back to the way it was."

"You don't know that. And even if that doesn't happen, we'll learn how to deal with the things that changed."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Sky."

"Any time." As she got up to leave, Johnny stopped her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Congratulations on everything," he praised her. "I didn't really get the chance to tell you that because of everything that I was thinking about."

She gave him a small yet thankful smile. "Thanks, Johnny. Remember, everything's changing, but you'll be fine."

He tried to picture things the way they used to be, kept them in his mind, and smiled, hoping they'd be that way once again.


	12. Chapter 12

Ponyboy sighed as he walked slowly to the love shack. He knew there was a big chance he'd never leave again. "Snickers?" He said in a voice he barely recognized. Snickers looked up. "Oh, hey, Ponyboy! How's it goin'?"

"Not too good." Pony answered quietly. "Can we talk, alone?" Snickers must've seen something in his face, because his tone became somber, and he nodded, pushing his girl off his lap. "Yeah, okay, bro. Come on." He and Pony walked to the back room, where Snickers shut the door. "What's the matter?" Pony dropped his head. "My buddy Steve... He's dead. He was shot, by one of your guys." He confessed. "What?" Snickers asked. "One of your guys shot my friend because he wasn't a hippie."

"That ain't my fault. Deal with that guy." Pony looked up, forcing his anger back. Losing his head would do no good right now. "I don't care who's fault it was. My brother's stuck in that goddamned war, two of my friends are dead, and my other one hates my guts for being what I am! I want out, Brian!" He shouted, calling Snickers by his real name. Snickers stepped back, his eyes wide. "You can't... You can't want out. This is the good life, buddy."

"Well not for me. I want out. I'm losin' too much already, Brian... I can't lose Johnny."

"That greaser." Pony glared. "He ain't a greaser. He's just my friend. My friend, you understand that. You were sobbin' when Blackie died! I don't wanna lose another friend, Brian, please!" Snickers shook his head. "It ain't that easy... Not now. We changed the rules, buddy. It ain't that easy to get out."

"I don't care! As long as I get out with my life, I don't care! I want out!" Snickers stared for a moment, amazed that such a loud voice could come out of such a small teen. "Alright, Ponyboy. Alright. Come back in a few days if you still want out, and I'll see what I can do." Pony stared at him for a few moments the nodded slowly, his hands un-clenching from the fists they'd formed.

"Johnny?" Pony said in a quiet voice. Johnny looked up, his eyes angry. Pony dropped his head. "Can I sit by you?" Johnny grunted something. Pony walked in and sat by him. He, despite arguments from Sky, had her cut his hair as short as it used to be. He'd greased his hair up once again and put on his old, beat up Levis. He hadn't had a smoke of anything today, not even tobacco. He knew he needed a clear head for the next few days.

Pony bit his lip then sighed. "I'm tryin' to get out. I don't want that life no more. I want my friends back... Steve was my buddy too, man, and it kills me to know he's dead. I don't want that life no more." Johnny looked over at his friend. "I thought you couldn't get out?"

"I'm not s'posed to be able to. But Snickers, he understands me, understands where I'm comin' from. He's gonna try to get me out. He's the gang leader, so he has to figure out a way to get me out without lettin' everyone think they can get out so easy."

"He might kill you, Ponyboy." Pony looked over quickly. "Would you care? If a hippie died?" He asked, a little more angry than he meant to. Johnny pulled back then sighed. "I guess I kinda lost it, huh?" Pony nodded weakly. "Yeah... But I understand why. You're the only one of us that ain't changed, even if I go back to bein' a greaser, I'll still be differ'nt." Johnny nodded. "What if he kills you, Ponyboy? I didn't mean the stuff I said about you, I didn't... I need you, Pony, I need all a you."

"He won't kill me, Johnny." Pony said, but wasn't so sure himself. He glanced down and saw his hands shaking a bit. "You got a smoke?"

"Of what?" Johnny asked. Pony smiled weakly. "Tobacco." He answered. Johnny handed him one and the lighter. Pony took a drag and smiled. "Thanks, John." He sighed and looked down. "Hey, Ponyboy?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you ever do more than pot while you was with those hippies?" Pony bit his lip, the night Blackie died washing over him like a deadly flood. "Yeah... But only once. I ain't addicted to it, man."

"What was it?"

"Coke... Blackie laced a joint with it... I took two drags and passed out... It was the night he died." Pony muttered, dropping his head. Johnny nodded. "What're you gonna do about your marijuana addiction?" He asked. Pony shrugged. "Pot doesn't have any known physical addictions, Johnnycake. Just mental. I won't go through as many physical withdrawl symptoms, just mental ones... I'll just start actin' weird, but I promise, I ain't gonna go back to it."

"You promise me that, Ponyboy?" Pony nodded and looked at his friend. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. Johnny nodded. "Yeah... Yeah, me too, man." He said. Pony smiled and Johnny pulled him into a hug, burying his face in Pony's neck.

"Come in, Ponyboy." Snickers said with a solemn tone. Pony dropped his head and stepped it. A few of the hippies he used to know as friends turned their backs on him, literally. His hair was greased and he had the clothing he'd gotten from Snickers and Blackie in his hands. Snickers sighed. "I understand why, Ponyboy, but it ain't easy."

"I know, Snickers." He said, tossing the clothing onto the couch. "To tell ya the truth, I ain't never had no one wanna get out before."

"They all died too soon." Pony muttered sourly. Snickers sighed. "So I had to figure out a way to get you 'out' as you put it. I couldn't think of nothin'." Pony looked up. Maybe he'd gotten lucky... Maybe Snickers was just going to let him go. "So, I asked some other boys... They had some good ideas, but they all said pretty much the same thing, do an old fashioned 'gang jump out.'" Pony felt his stomach lurch. He'd heard of more than one person, back a few years ago, that was killed in a jump-out. He nodded nonetheless. "Fine." He said. Snickers nodded. "I want you to leave, right now, but don't go home, just wander around... We'll find you."

"How many?"

"That's for me to decide... I had a lot of hope for you, Pony... You were gonna be my second in command." Pony thought of Blackie's grinning face and shook his head. "I guess I'll see ya'll around." Pony turned and exited the love shack.

Sky grumbled something and pushed Dally out of the way. She'd been sick for a few mornings now, and was blaming it mostly on him. "I'm sorry, honey..." He said softly. She smiled weakly and shrugged. "Can I get you anythin'?"

"You can carry the kid for about a month and see how you like it." She answered with a smile. Dally smiled and walked up to her, giving her a soft kiss. "It'll be nice, though, once he's outa there..."

"There ya go with that he stuff... You don't even know if it's a boy yet."

"I guess if I use 'he' enough, I think it might end up bein' a boy." Sky chuckled and pushed Dally playfully. "You're crazy, Winston."

"You love me for it." He answered, grabbing her hips and kissing her forehead.

"Ponyboy!" Darry cried, turning to look down the darkened alleys. It was nearly four AM, and his baby brother had left at 11:00 this morning. When it hit 10:00 PM, Johnny had come over to see if Pony was back. When he learned that he wasn't, he tearfully and rapidly explained what Pony had gone to do. He persuaded Two-Bit and Darry to wait for Sky and Dallas, who also knew what Pony had planned on doing. They arrived at midnight and heard the bad news, Pony was still missing. They decided to go out and search for the youngest greaser, starting at the east end of town and working their way down to the west side.

"Pony!" Johnny yelled through cupped palms. He thought he saw movement and raced down a black alley. He looked at the ground and around dumpsters, looking for his friend. He took a turn onto a new street with a sigh. He dropped to his knees, tears rising. It was all his fault Pony was missing, probably dead, he was the one that had convinced the younger boy to get out. He could hear voices approaching him, those of Dally and Sky, both crying Pony's name. He slowly got to his feet and continued to walk, taking blind turns down alleys. His vision began to blur as it hit five. He glanced up and saw the sun breaking over the horizon. He thought of the time out in Windrixville and shook his head. He'd been lucky to live that day, if Dally had grabbed him a moment later he would've died. He stood still, watching the sunrise.

It was at that moment that he realized he was being foolish. He didn't want things to change, but they'd been changing since 1966. They'd all changed at least a little bit when the boys came back from Windrixville. As each year pressed on them, they changed, just a little. As Johnny Cade stood, watching the sun rise, he realized that he too had changed, quite a bit. He thought of Windrixville once more and a smile crossed his face. "Nothing gold can stay." He whispered. He wracked his brain, trying to remember the poem. He spoke it as he remembered it;

"Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay."

Johnny smiled. That poem was more correct than he'd ever realized. Not changing was gold. Being a kid forever and not realizing that life doesn't work the way you want it to, that was gold. In a world where things that were gold could stay, Sodapop wouldn't have gone off to war, Steve would still be alive, Dally would still be mean, tough old Dally, Sky would've found a decent boyfriend, Two-Bit and Darry would still be straight, and hell, Two-Bit would probably still be in high school. Pony's parents wouldn't have died, and he and Pony wouldn't have ever hidden out in that church. Socs and greasers wouldn't exist, everyone would be equal and friendly... That was a fantasy world. Things change, Johnny realized, and it was time he accepted that.

When the sun revealed it's bright, warm face fully, Johnny began to search again, the morning dew dampening his greased hair.

"Ponyboy?" He whispered, racing over to the lump in one alley. He could no longer hear the calls of his friends. "Ponyboy!" He cried when he saw his friend fully. He grabbed Pony's arm and gave him a good shake, the other boy groaning in pain. He winced. "Sorry, Pony, I just had to make sure you was still alive." He said. He pulled Pony carefully away from the wall and into his lap. Pony's face was a swollen mess, cuts and bruises everywhere. His clothes were ripped and cuts and bruises showed through the holes. His lip was split open and he had dried blood from a bloody nose. "I found him!" Johnny cried as he held his unconscious friend. No one heard his cries, however. As much as it hurt, Darry had given up, losing hope that Pony was alive around the start of the sunrise. He, Dally, Sky, and Two-Bit had gone to the Curtis home after they'd searched for, but were unable to find, Johnny. Johnny yelled until his voice was gone, then realized the truth. They thought Pony was dead... They gave up. Johnny shook his head. He slowly stood and pulled Pony up, hanging one of the boy's arms over his shoulder. "Come on, Ponyboy, you gotta help me out here, man. We're all alone in this." He said quietly. Pony slowly came to and Johnny smiled. "Come on, Ponyboy, we gotta get you home... I'm proud of you." He said as he began to walk, Pony stumbling along next to him. "I'm really proud of you." He kept muttering as they walked home.

The house was silent when they entered. Johnny pulled Pony into his bedroom and laid him on the bed. Darry was probably at work by now, as it was nearly eight, and Two-Bit was probably wandering the town, maybe looking for them once again. Dally and Sky were most likely at home. Johnny carefully stripped his friend and washed his cuts out, pouring peroxide on them afterwards to make sure they weren't infected. He got Pony into a pair of his briefs and pulled the covers over him. Pony's eyes slowly opened and Johnny smiled. "Johnny? Am I home?" He asked quietly. "Yeah, Ponyboy. You're home. Hey, I got some great news..." He said quietly. Pony's eyes fluttered but opened once more. "Yeah?" He asked. Johnny nodded. "Yeah, Pony. I understand it now. I know about change... I know we all change. I know it has to happen, Ponyboy. I understand it, and I think it's amazing." Pony smiled. Johnny bit his lip then smiled. "I wanted you to know that." Pony nodded then slowly fell asleep again.


	13. Chapter 13

"No, no, absolutely not," Dally refused. Sky's sister and best friend he'd see, but never this.

"Come on, Dally," Sky begged. "You're going to have to meet my mother sometime."

"I think I can go through a marriage without having to meet my alleged mother-in-law," he scoffed.

"And I think you can't," his beautiful wife-to-be smiled at him softly. "What's gonna happen when my mother finds out about the baby? Is she just going to have to think that I'm a whore? Or should I come clean and tell her I have a husband?"

"Well, the second option is probably best," Dally said bitterly. "But this is going to be, I don't know, awkward, babe. Your mom's probably heard of me, hasn't she?"

"Dally, everyone's heard of you."

"Exactly! So, she ain't gonna like me because of what I'm known for. You'd be better off dating Sodapop. Too bad I had to fall in love with you first."

"Don't give yourself all the credit. I fell in love with you, too. And Soda? God love him and everything, and so do I, but he's just not my type."

He smiled at her crookedly. "And what is your type?"

"I think you know."

She kissed him, and when they broke free from the heat of each other's bodies, Sky dragged her fiancé out to the car and drove them to her mother's.

Most Greasers have awful home lives, but Sky Wood was lucky to have one that was nuclear. She had a mother and a father, both alive and married, and a younger sister named Bella who was fourteen. Their house looked like any other Greaser lived in, however, small and somewhat trashy. Still, when he stepped up to it, Dally didn't feel anywhere near as uncomfortable as he thought he would.

Sky's mother ran out to the porch, her arms spread wide open. As Sky ran up to the porch to embrace her, she nearly cried at the thought that someday, not too far off in the future, she might have a nineteen-year-old daughter, running to her, but about to confess that she was getting married to the most well-known rebellious Greaser.

"Hi honey!" her mother shouted. "Oh, how are you?"

"Fine," Sky said with a huge grin. "Remember how I told you I was bringing my boyfriend along with me?"

Mrs. Wood smiled and nodded. "Uh-huh, yes, I do." She peered over her daughter's shoulder. "Oh, Skylar, is that who I think it is?"

"Yes, Mom," she sighed, afraid of what might happen next. Now she turned to Dally, hoping everything would turn around. "Dally, come on up here, sweetheart!"

Slowly, he sauntered to finally meet the love of his life's mother. She already hated him; he could tell. Once you're a hated person, it's easy to decode when someone is really going to resent you.

"Mom," Sky started, wrapping her arm around Dally's waist. "This is Dallas Winston."

"I know," she said dryly. Clearing her throat, she added, "Hi, I'm Sky's mother, Janice."

"Hi," Dally tried to sound as polite as he could. "Er, nice to meet you."

She smiled at him strangely. "You too. Well, let's all come in. Bella has just been dying to see you, Sky."

Meeting Bella was easy, mainly because she was a little thrown off by how truly attractive Dally was. At fourteen, she was a little boy-crazy, as most girls are, but she was truly shocked by Dally.

"Whoa, he's her boyfriend?" her voice shook. "If they get married, that's gonna be one pretty baby."

Sky felt the color rush to her cheeks and put in all her effort to stop it. It was almost like Bella knew there was going to be a baby sooner than she thought.

"Bella, go to your room," Janice instructed. "Better yet, ask your father to take you somewhere. I have to talk to Skylar and Dallas."

Skylar and Dallas? Sky thought. This had to be serious business. Her mother only referred to her as Skylar when something serious was going on.

Mr. Wood and Bella left, and that left Dally, Sky and Janice standing in the front room, staring at each other in silence.

"So," Janice started. "Bella brought up the idea of marriage between the two of you. Is that something you've considered?"

"Mom, I think I should tell you something," Sky started nervously. "Dally and I are getting married."

She seemed calm enough. "Well, congratulations, baby! I'm sure you'll calm this one down!"

"You're not mad?" Dally asked, shocked that a mother would be all right with her gorgeous daughter marrying such a hood.

"No," she told them. "If you asked my baby to marry you, and you are… who you are, chances are you really love her. And I can tell by the way she looks at you that you really love her too."

She knew she would ruin the happy moment if she told her mother about the baby, so Sky figured she'd put it off for another time. But there would be a baby, and it would be good-looking, just as Bella had predicted. Things really were changing in her life, and she couldn't imagine what they were doing to her new friends, and especially Dally.

"Mom, we should really be going," Sky told her. "Tell Bella and Dad I said I love them and goodbye for now."

"Will do, honey," she assured her daughter. "Love you."

"Love you."

"Oh, and Dally?" Janice called after him.

"Yes?" he asked, surprised he hadn't asked what.

"Take good care of my Skylar Rayne."

"I already am, Mrs. Wood."

They departed hand-in-hand toward the Curtis house.

When they arrived there, everyone was sitting in a circle, staring at Darry. He was on the phone, shaking his head rapidly, and he looked paler than he'd ever been.

"Yes, yes," he was saying. "Thank you. Are you sure? All right. And you'll call again? Okay. Yes. Goodbye."

"Darry, what was that?" Ponyboy asked. He was no longer much of a hippie, but he did feel like something had to be done, because his brother was still in Vietnam, hopefully surviving.

"They took Soda out of battle," he whispered. "He's been hurt."


	14. Chapter 14

Pony stumbled backwards, Dally barely catching him in time. He set the younger boy on the ground and knelt by him, brushing his hair out of his face. "How badly?" He asked. Darry shook his head. "They won't say... They can't say, not yet... They ain't sure yet." He dropped into his chair and put his head in his hands. Two-Bit rushed to his side, wrapping his arms around the older man. Pony leaned his head against Dally's shoulder, shaking it slightly. "It'll be okay, Pony. I'm sure he's fine. It's prob'ly somethin' they can fix easy." Dally tried to comfort the boy. It scared him to think that sometime in the future, he might have a son that needed to be comforted much like Pony. He shook the thought from his head and helped Pony stand, walking him over to the couch. "You gonna be okay, kiddo?" Sky asked. Pony nodded. "I think so..." He said quietly, resting against Dally's shoulder. He stared straight ahead, in a sort of shock. Darry was still shaking his head no, ignoring Two-Bit's pleas to calm down. Johnny wasn't around yet, boy would he be surprised. Dally looked down at Ponyboy. The boy still had scars from the 'jump-out' the hippies had given him. It made him sick to realize that he and Sky, and even Darry had given up searching for the boy. A smile crossed his face. "What?" Sky asked quietly. He looked up. "I was just thinkin', I hope, if we have a son, it'll be a cross between Pony here and Sodapop... He'd be the best kid ever." Sky smiled and ran her hand over Pony's cheek. "Hey, he'll be okay, Ponyboy." Pony nodded weakly. "Yeah, yeah, I guess." He muttered.

The phone rang in the silent house. Pony leapt up to grab it, but Darry reached it first. "Hello?" There was silence for a few moments, and Darry let out a large sigh. "Are you sure?" More silence as the other person replied. "When?" Darry nodded and sighed again. "How long?" He asked quietly. Pony's eyes widened and his heart sank. "You're sure?" Silence. "Well alright... Thank you. I know, I'm sorry too." He hung up and leaned against the wall. Pony felt the blood rush to his toes. "He's dead." He said, his voice barely a whisper. Darry looked at him and smiled. "No, Pony. He's not dead. It was a bad wound, shrapnel in his legs and stomach from a grenade blast. But he's okay. They got out as much metal as they could, and he'll be sent home in two months. Soda's comin' home, and he got himself a purple heart." Pony felt his legs turn to jelly. This time it was Two-Bit that grabbed him before he could fall. "You been doin' alot of that lately, kid." Dally said. Pony pushed Two-Bit off him and ran to Darry, hugging him tightly. "Soda's comin' home!" He exclaimed, as if it hadn't been Darry that just told him. Darry hugged him back though, and kissed the top of his head. "I know, Ponyboy. I know." He whispered. Dally and Sky exchanged a smile.

Sky sighed as she entered the doctor's office. She was three months pregnant, and had yet to tell her mother. The doctor smiled and stood, shaking her hand and Dally's. She nodded to him and sat down. Dally leaned against the wall, biting his lip nervously. This was the first appointment he'd accompanied her to, mostly because she'd begged him nearly on her hands and knees, he hated doctors. "How've you been feeling?" The doctor asked, flipping through some papers. "Good... Sick, but I'm okay." The doctor smiled and nodded. "The morning sickness should be going away soon enough. How far are you now?"

"Three months." She answered. The doctor smiled. "Tell me, do you have worries?"

"Not really... I guess I'm kinda scared of the pain..." The doctor nodded. Dally stepped up and took her hand, smiling gently at her. The doctor frowned for a minute. "Wait, I do know you... Dallas... Winston, right? I knew I recognized you from somewhere." Dally nodded. "Yeah, that's me."

"You're the father?" Dally nodded, and Sky squeezed his hand tighter. The doctor frowned but nodded. "Well do you have any worries?" Dally dropped his head, a pink rising to his cheeks. "Uh, she's not... Too young, is she?" Sky smiled. Dally hated admitting that he was worried about anyone, even though it was obvious. The doctor nodded. "She isn't too young in body. She's been ready to bear children since her first menstrual cycle... In mind as well. I've talked to her quite a bit, Mr. Winston, I can assure you, she's perfectly capable of caring for this child." Dally nodded and Sky squeezed his hand again. He smiled at her. The doctor smiled at the couple and stood. "Would you like to get to the ultrasound now, ma'am?"

"Sure." Dally looked at her quickly. "What?"

"That's why I had you come. Now that I'm past the first trimester, you can start to see what the baby looks like." Dally couldn't contain his grin. "Really?" Sky nodded and they glanced up as a nurse wheeled a large, bulky machine in. "Can we tell if it's a boy or girl yet?" He asked. The doctor flicked a few switches. "Most likely no, but there are times when a fetus gains the sexual organs earlier." Dally nodded and watched closely as the process began. He hated to admit it, but he was extremely interested in what was going on. The doctor pushed Sky down gently and lifted her shirt. She squeezed Dally's hand. The doctor squirted a thick jelly on her stomach, and she gasped. "That's cold." The doctor smiled. "Sorry." He said. He waited a moment then began. "That's the head, and there's the- -" He paused and moved the pad around a moment. "Oh goodness, I hope you two are well prepared for any sort of surprises." Dally and Sky exchanged a look. "Oh? What surprise?" The doctor looked at them. "Well, I have some big news about your pregnancy..." He paused and looked at the screen again. "You two are having a baby girl."


	15. Chapter 15

"Ponyboy, get up," Darry ordered. It was eight o'clock on a Saturday morning, and Darry had a surprise for his youngest brother, but he wasn't sure if he'd like it or not."

"What?" Ponyboy croaked as he tried to get out of bed.

"I said get up," Darry repeated.

"Why? It's Saturday morning and I'm tired."

"We're gonna go see Soda."

That got Ponyboy's attention. He immediately leaped out of bed and jumped on Darry's back to interrogate him.

"How can we see Soda?" he began to ask. "I thought he wasn't coming home for another two months."

"He's not," Darry answered. "But he's in a hospital not too far from here, and they told us we could come and see him if we wanted to, which I figured we would. The other guys ain't coming yet, and it's gonna be hard to tell him about… me."

"You might wanna wait a while on that one," Ponyboy agreed seriously. "But what are we waiting for?"

"You. Get dressed."

It didn't take very long, because all Ponyboy had wanted for months now was to see his older brother. Without him, life was so much different, not as exciting.

And then he remembered Steve.

As they were getting into Darry's truck, Ponyboy turned to him with a concerned look on his face.

"What is it, Pony?" he asked.

"When we see Soda," Ponyboy began, "are we gonna tell him about Steve?"

Darry was silent for a while and then he finally answered.

"Not this time, okay? This time we gotta be real lighthearted"

Ponyboy didn't have time to respond, because Darry kept talking and warning him as to what might happen.

"He's gonna be… different. Once you fight in a war everything seems a little more negative. Now, I don't know how big of an effect on Soda this is gonna have because he was so happy before. It might be pretty small, but it might be huge."

Ponyboy didn't even know what to say to that. He knew people who were in the war came home different and with a new sense of the world, but he never wanted that to happen to his brother. No, he always knew his brother would be happy, shining and smiling. Seeing him any other way would just make everyone miserable.

When they got to the hospital, Darry asked where they could find Soda, and Ponyboy stood around looking at all the patients. Every one of them had been fighting in Vietnam and were now injured in one way or another. Only a few months before, he thought he could do something about this outcome, stop it. But looking around, he realized that everything would turn out in the end, and there was nothing he could ever do about it alone.

"Come on, baby," Darry whispered in Ponyboy's ear. "They told me where he is."

They found Soda lying in a hospital bed, making an effort to smile at his brothers. He still looked like his handsome self, only more tired, and in obvious pain.

Darry and Ponyboy ran to the sides of their brother's bed and burst into tears. All three of them went back to the time two years before when Ponyboy returned to Windrixville and how happy they had all been to see each other again. This, as much as they thought it was, was no different than that had been.

"Hey, little buddy!" Darry whispered through his joyful tears. "How they been treating you?"

Soda tried with great effort to laugh at his brother's question.

"Like I'm a ghost," he managed to say. "Just because I fought in the war. Dang, am I worried about scaring you guys. I'm afraid that war made me crazy."

"Don't worry, we're still gonna love you," Ponyboy assured him. The tears wouldn't stop flowing from his green eyes. He was so happy to see Soda, he couldn't think of a better word to describe the greatness he felt other than happy.

"You still big on peace and love like all those hippies?" Soda asked.

Ponyboy shook his head. "It got a little too dangerous for me. Blackie died, remember? He OD'd." He wanted to say that it got worse, but Darry told him not to say anything about Steve yet.

"Where's everybody else?" Soda looked around for more people, but the others he had also wanted to see weren't there.

"Out doing other things," Darry informed him. "Sky and Dally are probably making wedding plans, though. They're getting married and having a baby."

"Married? So soon? I knew about the baby, but I didn't know about anything else."

"How did you know about the baby?" Ponyboy asked, wanting to know whether he should feel betrayed by the parents-to-be or not.

"A guy like me can tell."

"Whatever you say, Pepsi-Cola," Darry sniggered. "How long do you want us to stay with you?"

Soda beamed. "Until they kick you out."

Ponyboy and Darry stayed for another hour, mainly telling Soda about all that was going on in their lives, except for Steve's death and Darry and Two-Bit. They hardly let Soda get anything in about his war experience, and had a feeling they probably never will. For Soda, everything had to be back to the way it was, for the most part.

"We'll be back the around the same time next week, right, Darry?" Ponyboy asked as they got up to leave.

"Yeah," he told them. "See you, little man."

"Bye Darry."

"Bye, Soda," Ponyboy gave his brother a small but loving smile.

"See ya, Ponyboy."

They drove off back to the Curtis house, mostly in silence throughout the drive. However, when they got home, something different and exotic was waiting for them in the miniscule living room.

"What in God's name is that doing here?" Darry shouted when he saw what was going on.

Sky grinned at her friends and masqueraded briefly as a showgirl. She could have pulled it off, too, if she wasn't six months away from being the mother of a baby girl, which she still couldn't believe.

"It's a Christmas tree," she told them. "And you're gonna help us decorate it."

"Oh shit," Ponyboy muttered. "That's a new one."

They stood in front of the tree trying to figure out a way to get out of the festivities.


	16. Chapter 16

Darry let out a sigh. "I can't figure out how to tell him."

"Aw, you'll figure it out, honey." Two-Bit said quietly, giving Darry's shoulders an extra hard squeeze. "That feels great." He said. Two-Bit smiled and continued to massage his lover's back. "He's gonna freak out. I don't want him to find out even."

"You have to tell him, Darrel. He's your brother. He has a right to know."

"So does the rest of the gang, and we're not hurrying to tell them a damn thing." Darry muttered sourly. Two-Bit smacked him hard on the side of the head. "Shut up, Darrel, and I mean it." Darry grumbled but kept quiet. "We're telling him tomorrow, both of us." Two-Bit finally said. Darry frowned but nodded. "Fine." He said, pushing Two-Bit's hands off him and standing up. Two-Bit sighed. "Are you mad at me?" He asked. "No." Darry answered, emotionless as he walked out of the bedroom. Two-Bit sighed and laid down, staring at the cracked white ceiling.

Pony and Johnny both jumped when a knock sounded at the shut door. They looked at each other and Johnny glanced at the clock. "It's two in the mornin', Pony, who would be here? Darry and Two-Bit are out, and Dally's with Sky..."

Pony shrugged, standing and opening the door. His heart skipped a few beats when he saw the girl standing there. "Pony!" Doll shouted, pulling open the screen door and hugging him tightly. Pony winced as if he'd been struck. "Oh, hi, Doll."

"How're you doin'?"

"I'm okay... What're you doin' here? I thought you didn't want nothin' to do with me anymore." He asked, digging the toe of his shoe into the carpet. "It's not me that don't wanna see you, bro.. It's Snickers, he don't want any of us seein' you... They didn't hurt you two bad, did they?"

"No, I lived." 'Barely...' He thought sourly. He turned around. "Oh, Doll, this is Johnny Cade, Johnny, this is my ex, Doll."

"I didn't even know you was datin' anyone."

"It was during the time we were fighting." Pony said softly. Johnny nodded. "Well, come in I guess... You're lettin' the cold in." He shut the door behind her. She looked around and sat carefully on the couch. "This isn't really a totally social visit though, Ponyboy." She said quietly after a moment. Pony glanced at Johnny nervously. Johnny gave a nod. "I'm gonna go see if I can find Dally, I need to ask him somethin'."

"Grab my jacket, it's freezin' out there." Pony said. Johnny nodded and walked to the closet, grabbing Pony's warmer jacket. He waved and nearly sprinted out the door. Pony looked back at Doll. "What is it?" He asked, crossing his arms. Doll sighed. "Please listen to me thoroughly before you start talking."

"Okay."

"Promise you will." Pony gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine, I promise I'll keep my mouth shut." Doll nodded. "Snicker's wants you back."

"No! No way! You know I w-"

"Shut up and listen to me, Ponyboy!" Doll cried. Pony shut his mouth reluctantly, staring at her. "He doesn't want you back for long, just for our rally next week."

"Why is it so important I come?"

"You're the best rallyer we have. You get everyone riled up, we're always rarin' to go when you're there."

"Find someone else."

"Ponyboy. It's gonna be at the veteran's hospital. Your brother's gonna be there." Pony felt his heart sink. "I won't go."

"Come on, man!" Doll begged. "Doll, please. I'm done with that shit. For good. I don't want any part of this." Doll stood and walked over to him. "Cherry died."

"Oh?" Pony asked, trying to show no emotion. "An OD, I suppose?" He asked with a bored tone. "No, one of your fuckin' war boys raped and killed her!" Doll said, poking him hard in the chest. Pony didn't even flinch. He was taught to treat women right, but he realized now that Doll couldn't even be considered a human, let alone a woman."

"They're not my war boys, and don't touch me again. Please leave."

"They may as well be your war boys, you're protecting them!" Doll cried, giving him a shove. Pony gave an exasperated sigh and pushed her back, just enough to force her to sit down. "Knock it the fuck off, Doll! You used to be a good person, now you're just crazy! You're better off gettin' away from those fuckin' hippies before they kill you like the did Blackie! Now get the hell out of my house!" Doll pulled back like Pony had slapped her. "Fuck you, Ponyboy Curtis. Go to hell." She muttered, standing up. She slapped him across the face before storming out of the house.

"Hey, Sodapop, how's it goin'? I brought someone to see you." Darry said softly. Soda glanced up and smiled. "Hey Darry." His eyes brightened when he saw Two-Bit. "Two-Bit!" He cried. Two-Bit grinned and walked over, giving his friend a hug. "Hey, Sodapop. "How're you feelin'?" Soda shrugged, glancing over at Darry. The happiness of seeing them had worn off, and he could feel the tension in the room. "What's wrong?" He asked softly, his face drawing into a frown. Two-Bit dropped his head and stepped back. Darry stepped forward and placed a hand on Two-Bit's shoulder. "We have some... News."

"Good or bad?" Soda asked worriedly. "That depends on your point of view... It was good news for us... But it might not be so much for you..."

"What is it?" Soda asked, sitting up a bit. Darry cleared his throat. "Uh... Two-Bit and I are seeing each other." He said softly. Soda pulled back, shocked. "What?!" He asked quickly. "Two-Bit and me, we're dating... We have been... For a while."

"Before I went to war?" Soda asked quietly, though he thought he knew the answer. Darry nodded solemnly. Soda dropped his head, feeling betrayed. "Who else knows?"

"Johnny and Pony, but they wouldn't know if they didn't walk in on us."

"Wait! Whoa! You're actually dumb enough to do shit in the house? When anyone could come in? Are you crazy?" Darry pulled back a bit, a pained expression on his face. "Answer me, damnit! Why the fuck would you be that stupid?!"

"I didn't think-"

"That's right, you didn't! Or we wouldn't even be having this conversation. If you'd thought things through, you would've told all of us. Immediately. I thought Pony was the one that never used his head." Soda turned his head away from them, looking out the window at the rally a bunch of hippies were having. "Soda, I-" Darry dropped his head. He'd never been yelled at like that since their parents died. He felt downright stupid, honestly, he was supposed to be the adult in the family. "Soda..." He begged, but Soda remained stony; that was something the war had given him the ability to do. Two-Bit stepped up and set a hand on Soda's shoulder. Soda knocked it off in an annoyed manner. "Fuck, Sodapop. You wanna know why we didn't tell you? Don't you dare ignore me, I know you're listening." Two-Bit spoke in quiet tones. "We didn't want you to be distracted by anything when you went away. We wanted you to be able to concentrate on not dyin', so you could come back to us. It hurt us to see you go without tellin' you, Soda, don't ever think we didn't. We weren't gonna tell anyone until you came back, so you could all find out together... But Johnny saw us the first day we started dating... And Pony just sort of popped out of no where one day... We didn't expect anyone to find out before you, Soda." Soda remained silent, staring out the window. In his mind, he was disassembling and reassembling his gun. "At least you bothered." He finally said. "What?" Darry asked, who'd come to stand next to Two-Bit. Soda turned to them, a cold, hard look in his eyes. "At least you bothered to tell your crazy brother."

"You're not crazy, Sodapop."

"Bullshit. Everyone here knows I am. I bet Pony didn't come because he's afraid of me."

"No, I didn't want him to see you react badly to the news. He didn't come because we needed to tell you in private, so you could deal with just us. We're here now, and you know the news, so deal with us." Soda sighed. "I can't be mad at you guys... I don't have any reason to be. I fucking hate you both for what you are... But I'm not mad about it." Darry winced at the word hate. "You hate us?"

"I hate queers. God knows they've spread enough disease through this world, now my brother and friend are. What's next? Steve and Ponyboy fucking?" Two-Bit and Darry looked at each other nervously when Steve's name was mentioned. Soda noticed, of course. "What? What is it?" He asked quickly, looking from man to man. "There's something about Steve, isn't there? He's not queer, I know that."

"No, no, he's not gay... But... There is something about him..." Soda sighed. "Well what is it?"


	17. Chapter 17

Darry and Two-Bit stood over Sodapop, staring at him. They tried to figure out who was going to tell the story about Steve's death, or if they would take turns with slight installments.

"What is it?" Soda asked, his voice becoming softer than it had been minutes before. He was really beginning to worry. What if something serious happened to Steve- something more serious that Two-Bit and Darry?

"Well, I think it's best we tell you this slowly, Sodapop," Two-Bit began. "After Ponyboy became a hippie, he and Johnny kinda distanced themselves from each other. Since you were in Vietnam, Johnny and Steve became real close. So, one night they were walking up to the Dingo."

"That's not new," Soda remarked, folding his arms against his battered chest. "We walk up to the Dingo all the time."

"That's not the end of the story, little man," Darry told him, praying that their brotherly nickname would soften his middle brother up. "While they were walking, some drugged hippie walked up to them and asked Steve if he wanted world peace and nothing but it. When Steve said no, and there was nothing he could do about the war because he was just a regular guy, the hippie shot him."

Soda gasped for the right words. He finally found them after seconds of floundering. "Did he… live?"

Darry sighed, knowing he had to be the one to tell the now veteran about this.

"No, Soda. He died instantly."

Not to anyone's surprise, tears immediately filled Soda's eyes. He had definitely looked forward to seeing Steve again when he was finally let out of the ghost town. And a ghost town it truly was. People ignored not only Soda, but also everyone else around him because they were injured in the war. The idiocy and fear that people had in their lives. Why couldn't they treat everyone like people?

"I wanted to see him when I got to leave this place," he muttered. He didn't hate Darry and Two-Bit anymore… their relationship seemed almost tame in comparison to the news he had just heard.

"Believe me, I never wanted to tell you," Darry rushed to his side and told him. "If you could have gone your whole life without knowing, I would have liked that. But I had a feeling you'd notice if your best friend wasn't there when you came home."

"You know what?" Soda asked, trying to cover up his sadness with anger. "Maybe I'd rather be dead than with all of you. Damn, do you miss a lot when you're fighting for your country or what? Maybe I'd rather be dead with Steve."

"Soda, don't talk like that," Two-Bit begged.

"I'm gonna be talking like that for a while," he scoffed. "Guys, just get out. You all can come back next week, but I don't know how happy I'm gonna be to see you. Probably not happy at all."

Their goodbyes were rather stiff, and Darry and Two-Bit took off, feeling incredibly hurt by the visit.

"Should we tell the guys about the baby?" Skye asked Dally one morning. She liked the name October and wanted to know what her friends thought of it.

"We're going to have to one time or another," he laughed.

"I know that," she scoffed. "I wanted to know if you wanted to go over there right now."

"All right, but Soda's still in the hospital."

"We can visit him later and tell him then." She straightened her spine to kiss her fiancé on the cheek.

"Come on, babe. Let's go."

They took the T-Bird to the Curtis house where they knew everyone would be gathered. Sky thought back to Steve, and even though she was never crazy about him, she was heartbroken over the fact that he no longer had a life. Maybe you could get shaken up over all deaths, even the ones that weren't supposed to affect you too much.

"Open up!" Dally shouted as he pounded once on the door.

"Hang on a second, Dal!" Darry yelled back to him.

Five seconds later, the door opened and Darry let Dally and Sky in the house, and, just as they had expected, everyone was sitting in the front room.

"Ponyboy, where's the Christmas tree?" Sky asked, irritated.

He tried not to roll his eyes. "We put it in the back."

"Well, put it up!"

Dally held her back from searching for the tree. "Sky, we didn't come here to fight over a damn Christmas tree."

She inhaled. "Right. Do you guys wanna hear more about the baby?"

"Is it a boy?" Johnny asked hopefully. "I always wanted to be around a little boy and actually take care of him."

"Hang on a minute, Johnny," Two-Bit told him. "They're gonna wanna string you along for a minute or two."

"Well, I was gonna do that," Sky beamed at him. "But now since you've told Johnny that, I'm just gonna flat out tell you all. It's a girl!"

"A girl?" Johnny asked. "I was almost sure it was gonna be a boy!"

"So was I," Dally laughed for no reason. "But it doesn't matter if the baby is a boy or a girl as long as there's a lot of love."

"And there will be," Sky promised. "You'll all love her too, won't you?"

A chorus of "yes" filled the small front room.

"So, what's the girly's name gonna be?" Two-Bit asked. "If I were you guys, I'd name her Minnie."

"You would not," Ponyboy mocked him. "You're just saying that."

"I am- no, you're right, I am just saying that."

In frustration, Ponyboy actually rolled his eyes this time. "So, Sky, Dally. What's her name gonna be?"

"We're going with October," Sky told them. "What do you guys think?"

"It's pretty," Darry complimented. "But it's December, and it'll be June when she's born."

"It's not a good idea to name your kid after the month she was born," Sky said. "It just gives the kids in kindergarten license to tease."

"Good point. So, what about middle names?"

Turning to Dally, Sky said, "We didn't think of middle names."

Blushing, he replied, "Actually, I did. Her name could be October Passion, because it was, er, a passionate time when we first found out about her."

"Dallas Winston!" Sky screeched. "October Passion! And your reasoning! As much as I agree with you, no!"

"Yeah, Dally," Ponyboy sided with Sky. "October Passion sounds like either a perfume or the whore that comes to your door dressed as a French maid on a drunken Halloween night."

The room got silent for a few seconds, then everyone burst out in the strongest laughter any of them had ever heard.

"Ponyboy!" Johnny gasped between guffaws that surprised him. "That's really the funniest thing I've ever heard!"

"Thanks," he appreciated it, laughing at his own joke.

"Well, I guess October Passion is ruled out," Sky said, still grinning. "But I started thinking about a minute ago. What about Katharine? And I like it better with an A after the H rather than an E."

"That's nice," Darry agreed. "What about Belle? It means beautiful in French, and with the two of you as parents, your daughter is bound to be beautiful."

"I like that too," Dally nodded.

"Yeah, but my sister's name is Bella," Sky gave the suggestion a con. "It's too similar."

"No!" Johnny said firmly.

"What?" Sky asked, making a great effort not to giggle strangely.

"Ponyboy suggested something stupid."

"Which was?"

"Dream."

Oddly sniggering, Sky rejected the name. "You're much better than that, Ponyboy!"

"Jane sounds nice too," Darry told them.

"It's too plain."

"What about Minnie?" Two-Bit asked.

"Definitely not. That sounds worse than October Dream." Sky winked at Ponyboy.

"I did get another idea," Ponyboy muttered.

"Tell us, man," Dally instructed. "We're desperate."

"Well, I only have one name for certain," Ponyboy started. "Yours."

"Mine?" Dally asked.

"Yeah. Sky, you like to read, don't you?"

"Reading is basically what I live for. I write a lot too."

"Well, why don't you give one name to your favorite author and give Dallas as a second middle name."

She pondered for a few seconds, and then had an idea. "I do like Charlotte Bronte."

"Put it together."

"October Charlotte Dallas Winston."

The parents-to-be smiled. Both of them liked the sound of the name.

"It's beautiful," Sky told Ponyboy.

"Yeah, thanks for the idea, Pony," Dally said. "Looks like you're not completely useless."

As Ponyboy grinned, Two-Bit nodded and gave Darry the signal.

"Sky, Dally," he began. "We've got something to tell you."


	18. Chapter 18

Sky and Dally froze, looking at Darry and Two-Bit strangely. They'd never seen the two so quiet... Or so close. "What's wrong?" Dally asked. "Nothing, actually... Everything's okay, but we've been keeping something from you two..." Sky frowned. "What is it?" Two-Bit stood and set his hand on Darry's shoulder. "Darrel and I are lovers."

The house was silent enough to hear a pin drop. "What?" Dally finally spit out. "We're lovers... Gay." Darry mumbled, dropping his head in shame. "Why the fuck didn't this come out before?" Dally yelled, standing and walking over to them quickly. "We didn't want to tell you, for fear of overreaction..."

"So you lie to us! How long?"

"What?"

"How long have you been lying to us?"

"Three months... Before Sodapop went to war." Dally huffed and drew his hand into a fist. Sky sighed and stepped over to him. "Stop it, Dallas." Dally frowned and looked at her. She sighed and shook her head. "It's not worth it... I understand their reasoning... Let them be." She looked at the boys and smiled. "I'm glad you two are happy with each other." Darry smiled weakly. "Thank you, Skylar." Dally frowned. "Don't you dare hide anything like that again, or I'll kick your ass."

"I'd like to see you try." Came a weak voice from the doorway. Everyone turned and jumped like they'd seen a ghost. Sodapop was standing in the doorway, holding himself up on a sturdy pair of crutches. "Soda!" Pony yelped, standing and rushing to let his brother in. Soda smiled. "Hey baby." Pony hugged him tightly. Darry stood but remained by the chair. "What're you doing here?"

"They said I was healed enough to come home... They were gonna call you but I wanted to surprise you, I figured you were a little broken up about the way I treated you two... I wanted to apologize... I was broken up about it, yeah, but I shouldn't have treated my only remaining family the way I did... Will you forgive me Darry? Two-Bit?" Both men nodded and walked over, each hugging the weak Soda. "I won't be the same, but I can try." He whispered into Darry's ear. "We're just glad you're home, little buddy, no matter what way you are." Darry answered, squeezing Soda's shoulder.

Soda smiled at Sky and Dally. "How's the baby coming along?" He asked with a grin. Sky smiled back. "Kicking like crazy... Come here." She moved part way toward Soda and took his hand, pushing it against her belly. "Wow." Soda said, smiling as he felt the baby kick.

"Hey, Soda... Are you gonna be okay?" Pony asked that night as they laid in bed. "Yeah, Pony, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, the war makes people different... I just wanted to know." Soda rolled over to look his brother straight in the eye. "Ponyboy, you listen. I'll never be the same. I saw stuff over there that just makes me sick, it haunts me... But I'm not gonna be scary different. I'll still be your big brother, got it? I'll still play football with ya, when I get better that is, and I'll still listen to your problems and try to help you out with them. I'm still your brother, Ponyboy, don't worry about that." Pony smiled and nodded, hugging his brother. Soda smiled and hugged back. "Now get to sleep."

"Okay." They rolled onto their backs and slowly drifted to sleep.

The next morning, Pony woke early. He was still in disbelief at the fact that his brother was actually home, and actually wanting to try and be the same. He rolled out of bed and looked at Soda closely now. Soda couldn't even be called a boy now. His long hair had been cropped short, it looked like they kept it cut in the hospital too. His face had stress lines, making him look 90 instead of just 19. He tossed in his sleep, as if a dream was troubling him. A scar ran across his chest, but Pony wasn't about to ask what it was from; he didn't want to know about the war. Soda's hands were rougher than they'd been before, calloused now in all the wrong places, probably from holding a rifle instead of an engine. He was more muscled, built now through the torso and legs rather than just arms.

Pony shook his head. Sodapop had said he was going to try and be the same, but it was obvious he couldn't. Things were still changing, just when everyone thought it was back to normal.


	19. Chapter 19

Soda. For months now, Ponyboy had been fighting for his brother's rights. He wanted him out of that war. All he did was sit around now, thinking. Soda never talked to anyone unless they talked to him first. One morning earlier that week, he had woken up with a glimmer of hope in his eyes and dressed to go to work at the DX.

"Where're you going, little buddy?" Darry asked him with a chuckle.

"To work," Soda told him, giving him a look that said you're crazy, Darry. "That's what I always do."

"Hate to break it to you," Darry sighed, "but they gave your job to someone else just a week after you left for Vietnam."

It was true- the new boy working there was a short, fat Greaser named Ronald. Not only was Ronald extremely unattractive, but also was rude, boring, and confusing. A lady on her way to Texas came by to the DX station to get a tank of gas, and Ronald wanted her to hang up the pump. Instead of acting this out properly, he swung his arms around his head in a whirling way until the lady angrily stormed into the station and asked him what the hell his problem was.

"I don't got a job?" Soda asked in a disbelieving manner. "That's impossible. Steve would have never let my job go to someone else."

"Soda, Steve died a few hours after you left," Darry reminded him quietly.

Trying desperately not to cry, Soda went back into his room and locked the door. He hadn't spoken since.

"He'll never be the same, Ponyboy," Darry told his youngest brother as he complained. "You wouldn't be the same either."

"I know," Ponyboy sighed, flashing back to the glorious way Soda used to be. "But I really wish that damned war hadn't happened and Soda was Soda again."

"Me too, baby," Darry locked Ponyboy in a tight embrace.

"Darry!" Two-Bit shouted as he barged through the front door of the Curtis house. "Darry, come here! I just had the greatest idea!"

"What is it?" Darry asked, examining his partner carefully. "Does it have anything to do with drinking? You know I'm not into stuff like that."

"No, it's got nothing to do with drinking," Two-Bit said sheepishly. "In fact, if we were to go along with it, I'd have to limit my drinking."

Darry groaned. "Just tell me what it is."

"Okay, so, with Sky and Dally having that baby soon, doesn't it make you want to speed up the process and have a kid around already?"

"Somewhat."

"Well, I was thinking about how great it'll be having a little girl walking around here, but I can't wait six more months. Since we're the only ones together, I figured we could adopt a kid."

Darry was shocked. Two-Bit never seemed like the kind of guy to want a kid of his own, because he knew he was too irresponsible. What was with the sudden change of heart?

"Are you sure?" Darry managed to ask. "You've never mentioned anything like this before. We ain't even married."

"I know that, but I really can't wait. Look, we can adopt a newborn baby who'll be just a little older than Dally and Sky's. Maybe we'll adopt a girl so the one already on the way has a friend to begin with. Do you want to?"

"Yeah, I do. But do you think an adoption center would turn us down?"

Two-Bit sighed. "You know, I never really thought of that. People aren't really fond of people like us, especially in these times. But we can try."

"Yeah," Darry mused. "We can try."

"Sky, for the love of God and all things holy!" Dally shouted. "Just tell me what you think."

For an hour already, the pair had been fighting about when their wedding would be. Could it be while Sky was pregnant with their daughter? Or after when she would feel more confident? Dally had brought up the idea, but Sky had nothing to say. By now, it was driving him up the wall.

"Look, I'm not getting married in a wedding dress that's going to be too big in just months after, so we should probably get married after the baby is born," Sky finally told Dally. "What do you think?"

"Whatever you like," Dally agreed. "That's been my motto since that night we met."

"Well, I'm not the only person you met that night," Sky scoffed, remembering what had been done.

"Right," Dally said sheepishly. "I promise that to our kid, too."

"You better. If you don't, you're out, Winston."

"I'd do whatever it takes to get back in."

Sky leaned across to kiss Dally, and when her lips met his, she felt as if she took a trip into Johnny's mind. Everything was changing. She'd never expected to become a mother at the age of nineteen. But she was ready. Maybe change wasn't so bad and wicked when you were ready for it. Thinking that, Sky hoped that Johnny had received the message.


	20. Chapter 20

"I've found a job." Soda said with a small smile. "Oh? Where?"

"The recruiting center. I know it's dangerous, but I know some of the people there and it pays good." Darry nodded. "Is it really what you want to do, Sodapop?" Soda nodded and glanced at Pony. "You okay with this, Ponyboy?" His baby brother nodded. "Yeah, if it's what you want."

"What?!" Pony cried, stumbling back. "Relax now, Ponyboy." Darry said, raising a hand. "You can't have a kid!"

"And why not?" Two-Bit asked from behind them. "Because! You're two guys!"

"So?" Pony cried out and shook his head. "You're insane, Darry! Both of you are."

"Would you calm down?" Darry asked, crossing his arms. Pony rolled his eyes. "Calm down, relax... At least I'm not talking like a crazy person."

"We're going to do this, Pony, I just wanted to let you know." Pony shook his head and exited the room.

"You're what?"

"Looking to adopt a child."

"You two, as a couple?" Darry nodded. the woman behind the desk cleared her throat and nodded. "May I see references?" Darry held a thick packet out to her. She read through it. "You're taking care of your two younger brothers, Mr. Curtis?"

"Yes. One may be moving out soon, but I'm not sure, he's still deciding."

"How long has this living arrangement existed?"

"Four years." The woman nodded. "Mr. Mathews, you're living with the Curtis'?"

"Yes, ma'am." She nodded again. "You can both call me Lisa, by the way." The men nodded and glanced at each other nervously. "You seem able to care for a child... Two jobs from you, Mr. Curtis and one from you Mr. Mathews."

"And my brothers may be getting jobs soon as well." Darry added. Lisa nodded. "Alright, good." She sighed. "I'm not supposed to let any... Homosexuals... Adopt... But you two men seem more than well qualified." Both men brightened. "However, if I do manage this, I would like to place you two under a sort of probation for at least a year."

"That's perfectly fine. We already have child services checking up on us every few months, because of my brothers." Lisa nodded. "I'd like you two to read up on these children." She handed Darry a stack of folders. "Each one is about the age you insisted, and all are girls... I won't allow a boy to go into the... Situation."

"Completely understandable." Two-Bit said, glancing at the top folder. "How long do we have to read these?" He asked. "As long as you need... Come back when you've picked a few children you'd like to meet." Darry nodded and stood, offering his hand. "Thank you so much for this, Lisa." She smiled warmly and shook his hand. "It's not a problem, sir. You both seem like well rounded individuals. A child would be blessed to have parents like you." Two-Bit grinned and shook her hand next. They exited on clouds.

"I can't believe she's actually gonna let us adopt a child!." Two-Bit cried ecstatically when they got into the truck. Darry smiled and reached over, taking his lover's hand. "I'm glad we're allowed to." Two-Bit smiled and leaned over, giving Darry a soft kiss. "I don't think we'll be able to decide though... There's so many children." He flipped through the top folder."

"We'll ask the gang for help... I mean, they'll be helping us take care of her anyways... They might as well have a say in which child we choose." Two-Bit nodded. "Good idea."

"They're actually gonna let you?" Soda asked. Darry nodded. "That's good... Real good." Darry smiled weakly. Soda just wasn't the same. Normally he'd be through the roof with excitement, but it took almost everything they had to get even a smile out of him now and in days. "So we figured you and the rest of the gang could help us choose... We narrowed it down to a few children we wouldn't mind adopting, but we can't make a final decision." Two-Bit said, pushing six folders toward Soda. "We asked you first because you'll probably have the biggest role in her life."

"Why so?" Soda asked, opening the first folder. "Well Pony'll be going to college in a few years, and Dally and Sky are gonna be busy with their own child. You and Johnny will really be the only members of the gang besides us two as her parents of course, that'll have alot of contact." Darry explained. Soda nodded. "Don't you think if you adopt an older girl she'll think it's weird she has two fathers?" He asked, pushing the oldest girl's folder away. Darry shrugged.

"I like this one." Soda finally said, pushing a folder toward the couple across the table. Two-Bit grinned; he'd liked this girl. Darry nodded. "We'll take it into consideration." The girl was three years old, blonde hair and blue eyes. She was considered nameless, but Darry wasn't sure if she had her own name or not. She'd been taken from an abusive household as an infant and had spent the previous three years in a foster home.

"You want us to what?" Johnny asked. Pony scowled. "I don't think we should."

"Come on, little brother, help us out here, she will be your niece." Darry begged. Johnny took the folders. "Alright, give us a little while though." He said quietly.

"I like this girl and Ponyboy likes this girl." Johnny said, handing Darry two folders. The first was the girl Sodapop had thought fit them. The second was a seven year old girl, black hair and blue eyes, named Monica. "We'll take it into consideration." Darry answered.

And so it went with Dally and Sky as well. Finally Two-Bit and Darry decided on their child. They decided on the three year old blonde girl that came from the abused home. The drive back to the adoption center was silent, but the excitement in the air was obvious.

"Lisa?" Darry asked, sticking his head into the door. Lisa smiled at him. "Please, come in. Have you two made your decision?" Darry nodded. He and Two-Bit sat down and he pushed all the folders except the one containing the three year old. "They were all great children, it seemed... But it was a unanimous decision, nearly, that we choose her." He slid the final folder toward Lisa. She opened in and smiled softly. "Ah. I was wondering if anyone would ever take her. You know, children from abused homes are adopted the least often of any child in our center? People believe abused children are going to turn out bad. She's really a sweet girl, why don't I take you to her, she's playing outside right now." Darry and Two-Bit passed a nervous glance at each other and grinned. "Sure." Two-Bit said. Lisa grinned and stood, walking to the door. "Follow me please. A word of warning, approach her slowly, she's a bit skittish... But I'm sure you two can cure that quickly." Darry nodded and smiled. Two-Bit reached over and took his hand as they walked outside to meet their child.

"Honey?" Lisa said softly to a small girl playing with a ragged doll. She turned slowly and smiled softly. "Isa!" She cried. Darry felt his heart leap. She was so precious. "We found a set of parents for you, baby." Lisa said softly. The girl glanced up at them and her eyes widened. "Big." She whispered. Darry knelt down slowly, dropping Two-Bit's hand. "Hi. My name's Darry." He said quietly, making eye contact with the child. "This is Keith. We'd like to take you home with us... Would you like that?" The girl gulped and looked from Lisa to Darry. She nodded slowly. "Yes." Darry smiled and tugged on Two-Bit's jean leg. Two-Bit knelt and smiled at the girl. "Hey. You know, it's really nice where we live. You'd have a really great family. I think you'll like it there." The girl looked at him a moment then stuck out her doll. "Dolly?" Darry looked at Lisa in question. "She wants to know if the doll can come." Darry nodded. "Oh.. Can it?"

"Of course, the children are always permitted to bring their favorite toy from the center." Darry nodded. "Yes, your dolly can come, honey." The girl smiled broadly and stood, stumbling over to Darry and hugging him. He gasped and his eyes widened. He looked over at Two-Bit, who was nearly crying. "My daddy?" She whispered. Darry felt his eyes fill with tears and he hugged the girl tightly. "Yes, I'm your Daddy. Go say hi to your other daddy, honey." She pulled away and looked at Two-Bit, who sat flat on the ground. "Wanna come see me?" He asked, opening his arms. She shyly stepped up to him and hugged him. "Where's a mommy?" She asked, looking from Darry to Two-Bit to Lisa. Lisa smiled and slid back a bit, raising her eyebrows. Darry sighed deeply and then smiled. "Honey, you won't have a mommy with us. Keith and I are like a mommy and daddy. And you'll have a bunch of uncles and a really nice auntie." The girl nodded. "What's my name?" She asked, cocking her head cutely. Darry and Two-Bit looked at each other. "Uh..."

"Angela." Two-Bit said finally. "Angela?" Darry asked. Two-Bit grinned and Darry nodded. "Angela Marie." He said. Angela grinned. "Angela!" She cried, hugging each man again. "When can she go home?" Darry asked Lisa. "As soon as you fill out the paperwork, Darry." She said with a smile. "Do you wanna go home now, Angela?" Darry asked. She nodded rapidly. Darry and Two-Bit stood and she held up her hand. Darry smiled and glanced at Two-Bit. Two-Bit grinned and took his hand. Darry chuckled and took Angela's hand. They followed Lisa into the Home again to fill out the paperwork.

It was nearly the end of a tumultuous year, and things, though changing, seemed to be getting better for the boys on the East side... Better for the greasers.

THE END


End file.
